‘This Photo Makes Me Sick,’ ‘Life in Prison Without Parole’ — Damaged Smokey Statue at Tennessee Draws Social Media Outrage

Matthew Cannata Sat, October 10, 2026 at 11:37 PM UTC

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A statue of Smokey IX, stands outside Ayres Hall on University of Tennessee's campus, April 19, 2019. Smokey0419 0028 RANK 1

Smokey has long been a familiar sight on the University of Tennessee campus, in the flesh and in fiberglass.

On Saturday, Barstool Rocky Top posted a photo of one of the school’s Smokey statues damaged. The post went up while No. 15 Tennessee was playing at Arkansas.

The school unveiled 10 statues of the bluetick coonhound on April 13, 2019, one for each dog that had served as its official mascot since 1953.

UT’s Smokey Costume Was Stolen in 1999, and a Fan Asks About Flock Cameras

“Somebody will pay with their life,” Barstool Rocky Top wrote with the photo.

The post did not say which of the 10 statues was pictured or when the damage happened. They were placed across campus, at stops including the UT Gardens, Circle Park, Hodges Library, the Hill and the Engineering Quad.

“Life in prison without parole for whoever did this,” one fan wrote, answering the post with hyperbole to match.

Smokey has been a target before. In 1999, the mascot costume was stolen from the apartment of Adam DeVault, who wore it that year, after a 24-0 win over Auburn on Oct. 2.

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UT and Knoxville police investigated, and radio station WIVK offered a $1,000 reward. Nearly six months later, the costume turned up on Auburn’s campus and was returned unharmed. DeVault declined to press charges, and the thieves were given community service under an agreement between UT and Auburn administrators.

Another fan figured the culprit had to be on video. “With all of the flock cameras that no one wants everyone knows this has to be on HD camera in multiple angles. When is the perpetrator gonna get arrested?”

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Flock cameras have drawn debate in Knox County. On Aug. 31, the Knox County Commission voted unanimously for an emergency ordinance ordering the Knox County Sheriff’s Office’s Flock cameras removed within 30 days.

The debate started over a sheriff’s office plan to use state grant money to add 270 Flock cameras to the roughly 140 it already used. Betsy Henderson, the county’s mayor-elect at the time, said after the vote that residents had “clearly spoken out against the use of Flock cameras in their communities.”

On Oct. 6, the sheriff’s office said it had stopped operating all of its fixed license plate readers.

Smokey Statues Started as a Student Idea at UT

The fiberglass statues, designed by Chicago Fiberglass Works, started as a student idea. Student Government Association members brought it to administrators, and a committee of staff and students expanded it to one statue for each Smokey.

Another fan wrote that her son graduated in 2020 and that, with no formal ceremony, the family took pictures around campus, one of them with Smokey. “This photo makes me sick! And I’m a U of Memphis alum.”

“We’re proud of our campus traditions, and this seemed like a unique and exciting way to celebrate one of our longest-running traditions,” Jeff Maples said in a university release before the 2019 unveiling. He helped move the project forward as UT’s senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration.

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One fan was simply baffled. “Geez. I don’t understand vandalism.”

Another fan tied the photo to the Vols’ performance, writing, “maybe it’s somebody doing a modern art take on this offense vs this defense.”

The Vols return to Neyland Stadium for their Week 7 game against Alabama on Oct. 17. One of the 10 Smokey statues was placed at the stadium’s Gate 21 in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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