Warning: This article contains messages of self-harm and suicide that may be triggering. The Institute offers resources for students and faculty struggling with mental health at mentalhealth.gatech.edu or call 404-894-2575 to speak to a counselor. Contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 if you are having thoughts of suicide.
Mascots are emotional stewards for sports fans, offering a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold or a comedic gesture to break the tension, but when the game ends and the show is over, mascots often retreat from the attention and remain unseen. Players answer questions from the press and run to console loved ones; cheers and celebrations ring out in winning locker rooms; losing teams simmer in silence and defeat, but what about the person behind the mask?
On Sept. 11 at the Cypress Theater, Atlanta Falcons fans and curious students got a taste of what life is like behind the mask as Jeremy Legg, the man who plays the Falcons’ mascot Freddi Falcon, shared his battle with mental health and suicidal thoughts during Suicide Prevention Week.
Legg always enjoyed the spotlight and, as a student, was drawn to Aubie, the mascot tiger for Auburn’s football team. After trying out to become Aubie for three years, Legg finally achieved his dream — encouraging fans and electrifying stadiums to scream and cheer for the Tigers, which ended with a bittersweet wakeup call for two years. Before becoming a mascot, Legg was studying engineering at Auburn University, which allowed him to pick up a corporate desk job after graduation, but soon after he entered this role, he felt it dampened his creative and playful urges. While still in his corporate job, he was asked to come on as Freddie and never turned back, earning him a career of almost 21 seasons as Freddie.
“Fast forward, I got out [of school], got a real job [and] I was lost. I was confused had no idea what I wanted to do and as I was getting fired from a job because I was getting bored and discontent and throwing paper airplanes off the 15th floor balcony, the phone literally rings and says ‘Hey dude, you’re an old Aubie, I need some help on the weekends, you wanna come help me do Freddie Falcon?’ And I said ‘Hell yeah, ’” Legg explained.
Freddie Falcon has charmed fans with extravagant stunts — such as the Guinness World Record for the highest indoor rope swing drop at an astounding height of 43.71 meters — and community outreach with fans, appearing at hospitals, schools and even veterans. Before games, Freddie can be seen skydiving into stadiums, racing cheerleaders on tricycles or leading fans in pregame dances.
In Nov. 2013, following the 7th loss of the season for the Falcons against the Carolina Panthers, Freddie Falcon posted the infamous “tweet heard ‘round the world” after spending a day at the 10th annual Out of the Darkness Walk: “Had a good time at the #ood suicide prevention walk today. I may need to go back if our season continues the way it is.”
Hours after the original tweet, which faced significant backlash from people who felt it was an insensitive and inappropriate comment, the account posted a formal apology.
“In a moment where I was trying to lighten the mood and let people know, ‘hey, it’s just a football game,’ [I] said it completely wrong, and it came at people the wrong way, and we went viral before being viral was a thing,” Legg said, showing a screenshot of an article featuring his post under the bolded title “30 Worst Tweets of All Time”.
When the Atlanta Falcons office called, Legg expected a swift termination but was instead met with grace. However, Legg didn’t take this second chance lightly and instead used his experience as a learning opportunity, not only for himself but for the franchise as a whole. Freddie Falcon went from about 150 scheduled visits a year to nearly 600 — from food drives to hospital visits to school shows. Legg also took this time to reflect on himself and the people around him, including the players he interacted with on a daily basis.
“I work in the NFL. At the time this came out, there were over 55 NFL players who had taken their lives due to the effects of concussion protocol and CTE. And even closer to home … I found out there were actually folks in my office who had nephews, cousins and brothers who had [taken] their lives to suicide,” Legg said, explaining how he spent the months following the tweet apologizing and asking for ways to improve the conversation around suicide.
Legg went on to elaborate more about how the Falcons franchise had gotten more involved in the Atlanta community, talking to schools from elementary to high school about suicide, suicide prevention and checking in on your loved ones. In part due to this community involvement and activism, Legg won the Mascot of the Year award in 2024.
Despite being in a very fortunate position and having some amazing experiences, Legg has had his own encounter with suicide. One night, he found himself in his basement with a mouthful of pills — and admitted he might not be here today if his seven-year-old child hadn’t knocked on the door.
“I’m not an expert, but for me, after spitting out some pills [and] giving my seven-year-old a hug, I called my best friend and said, ‘Hey man, I need someone to talk to.’” Legg said as he turned to address the audience. “There are resources here … part of being able to get through some of our own mental health struggles, in my opinion, is having a community around you and knowing you can talk to anyone.”
After the process of rebuilding the character of the Falcons’ Mascot and having a personal experience with suicide and mental health struggles, Legg said he has been left with some valuable lessons.
“I think about authenticity quite a bit, and it’s weird to say authenticity when you put on a mask and yellow tights and twerk on people. But there have been more than two dozen moments — even though the number one rule is don’t talk in costume — where I’ve broken character to comfort a mom who’s just lost someone, let a gentleman cry on me whose son is overseas and doesn’t know if he’ll see him again. This costume is a tool, a vehicle designed to be able to bring people together and laugh, dance [and] cheer on a team,” Legg said.
Legg’s journey reminds us that behind the feathers and flair is a person whose story is bigger than football. His message was clear: check on your loved ones, and if you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, use the resources and community around you — you don’t have to go through it alone.
The Institute offers resources for students and faculty struggling with mental health at mentalhealth.gatech.edu or call 404-894-2575 to speak to a counselor. Contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 if you are having thoughts of suicide.