Now, the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is native to Africa, Southwest Asia & the Indian Subcontinent. It does not resemble the American badger (Taxidea taxus) that we are familiar with in Alberta. It actually looks a lot more like a weasel. If they had chosen an American badger, that might have made more sense, considering we actually have those here & there are many in the oil patch. However, I believe the reason they chose the honey badger is due to the YouTube video that has gained some popularity amongst the Internet. On the right side of this page under the Links section, you will find a link to this video that you can click to see it, but please note that there is some profanity in it.

According to this video, honey badgers are relentless, tough, hungry & they “just don’t give a sh*t.” I can somewhat see the reasoning behind the choice of the honey badger, as the Roughnecks are a tough team & they don’t give up, but I still do not understand how this can outweigh what the original mascot stands for. Not to mention the kids love him, & kids are an important part of the Roughnecks community. I have heard from quite a few parents that their kids were asking where Derrick was & were disappointed that he was not there. Not good! Most importantly, Derrick is the face of the team. He is on the jerseys & has been with us since day one. He is a ROUGHNECK. His character is relevant to the team, he represents it & what goes on in our province very well. What does a honey badger do? Apparently it eats & it doesn’t give a sh*t, right? Well, I give a sh*t! & so do many other fans!

So, let’s have our voices be heard & get our Derrick back! Please sign this petition if you agree & send it out to others that do as well.