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UVA denies field pass for Hudson, the ODU mascot pup who will steal your football heart

Chris Graham
hudson odu football
Photo: Twitter

Hudson, a yellow lab puppy who has become the unofficial official mascot of ODU football, will not be allowed on the sidelines for the Monarchs’ game on Saturday at UVA.

This will be why Virginia will lose on Saturday. Karma is undefeated.

“To my @ODUFootball team, @UVAFootball has told my team at @MuttswaMission that we will NOT be allowed on the field even though we are accredited with @adiintl (the highest standard). They are intimidated by my presence on the field,” Hudson ODU tweeted on Wednesday.

An article on the Outkick website relates the reason: that UVA has a “strict policy” that does not allow service animals in training on their sideline.

O … K.

ODU coach Ricky Rahne and his family, earlier this year, signed up for Mutts with a Mission, a two-year program that places puppies at a caregivers’ home for 18 months before returning them back to the organization for six months to train the dogs as service dogs to then place with disabled veterans, first responders and law enforcement for no cost to the recipient.

Rahne and his family adopted Hudson, and so has the ODU football team, which has embraced the pup, calling him “Little Huddy,” welcoming him into the weight room, team meetings and the sidelines for ODU’s first two games this season.

His first road game was at ECU, which welcomed Hudson with welcome arms.

It’s not too late for Virginia AD Carla Williams to undo this dumb injustice.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].