"Really dumb" "Jeff Landry is an idiot": CFB fans trash LSU's move to bring live tiger on sidelines for Alabama game

A tiger will appear on the sidelines before the No. 15 LSU Tigers host the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry wanted to see LSU resume the tradition of having a live tiger on the field before games, something that hasn't happened since 2015.

LouisianaSports.net reported on Thursday that a tiger will be wheeled around before the game. However, that will not be the school's live tiger, Mike VII. Mike has never appeared in Tiger Stadium since he was adopted as a cub in 2017. He'll remain in his expansive home across the street from the venue.

Instead, Landry has secured a one-and-a-half-year-old tiger named Omar Bradley from a handler in Florida, according to WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge.

Landry, a first-year governor who graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has been pushing for the return of the school's tradition despite multiple sources telling LouisanaSports.net that LSU has opposed the idea.

"The University has concerns about the potential trauma a tiger could undergo being driven around the stadium in front of over 100,000 screaming fans. In the past, cheerleaders have induced the live tiger to roar by stomping or beating on the mobile cage repeatedly," the report said.

Fans have responded negatively to the report.

"Jeff Landry is an idiot. Man I regret my vote for this idiot," a fan wrote.

"LSU is saying no and the governor is...doing this on his own? What?" another fan responded.

"Really dumb," a fan replied.

"Not a fan. Cats are nervous animals with sensitive ears. A loud stadium is the last place a cat wants to be. I'm not even PETA. I eat cows. This however is cruel," a fan criticized on X.

"This is crazy, another tiger being paraded around the stadium is crazy. It's just not the same, it's not @MikeTheTiger. I enjoyed watching Mike being paraded when I was younger but I understand why they stopped doing it. Mike VI didn't like it and stopped getting in the cage," another fan wrote against the decision via X.

"A live tiger with 100,000 fans screaming that mf going be traumatized," a fan worried about Mike VII shared on X.

LSU students voice concern about Jeff Landry wanting tiger to appear in Tiger Stadium

LSU hasn't had a tiger on their field since Mike VI in 2015. Mike VI died in 2016, and the program acquired its current mascot, Mike VII, the following year.

Mike VI would often not board the cage that would transport him to Tiger Stadium. The school halted the practice entirely when Mike VII arrived on campus. Mike's care is provided by the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, located down the street from both the stadium and Mike's habitat.

Two months ago, Baton Rouge news station WAFB-TV" spoke to LSU students who were against Landry's push to have Mike VII at a Tigers game.

"I wouldn't want to force him either, and I wouldn't want to put something against his will because you never know how he would react towards that as well," a student said.

"I would do it if the tiger wanted to do it," another said. "If Mike wants to do it, but, like, it depends on his health, like, I don't know the technicalities of how he feels or how it would affect his hearing and stuff being in the stadium. So, definitely, just whatever is best for his health."

At the time, WAFB-TV noted that LSU had no intentions of having Mike VII appear before a Tigers game this season. However, Landry has seemingly found a way to have the tradition revived on Saturday.