Miami Mascot Sebastian the Ibis Hits on Syracuse Reporter as Hurricanes Fall to Orange

The Miami Hurricanes football team wasn’t the only one who took a big L on Saturday.

While the team was staggering to a devastating 42-38 upset loss to the Syracuse Orange – knocking Miami out of the ACC championship game and perhaps out of contention for the new 12-team College Football Playoffs – Canes mascot Sebastian the Ibis decided to gamble on a win of his own on the sidelines.

During the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, CNY Central sports reporter Ashley Wenskoski revealed on the platform formerly known as Twitter that Sebastian, in a move as unexpected as Miami’s performance, got down on one feathery knee and asked for her phone number midgame.

“Sebastian the Ibis (Miami’s mascot) just kneeled down and asked for my number mid-drive,” Wenskoski posted. “Feels like he has bigger things to worry about with his team on the ropes in the 4th quarter at the Dome…but who am I to say?”

Cue the social media chaos.

Wenskoski’s post went viral – even meriting mention in the New York Post, as fans and followers of both college football and Miami’s antics couldn’t resist chiming in.

Sebastian the Ibis (Miami’s mascot) just kneeled down and asked for my number mid-drive

Feels like he has bigger things to worry about with his team on the ropes in the 4th quarter at the Dome…but who am I to say

— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) November 30, 2024

X users were quick to pile on the ibis. One commenter quipped, “Another L for Miami on the day,” neatly summing up both tragic elements.

Someone else joked, “Pretty sure I saw the aftermath of you getting outta there or a different scenario where it looked like he was giving the ‘aww come on’ hands. Cringe.”

Another L for Miami on the day.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) December 1, 2024

“Gross comments,” another user opined. “You’re trying to cover the biggest game of the season in crunch time, and he feels that was a good time to ask you? Inappropriate feels like an understatement.”

Another fired back with a graphic description of ibis behavior in the wild, noting that the birds “hang in groups, look for grubs, grunt and moan, shit all over the place. They do have long peckers though.”

It’s so nice when everyone keeps it classy in the social media sandbox.

Ever seen an Ibis? They hang in groups, look for grubs, grunt and moan, shit all over the place. They do have long peckers though

— Mike A 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@allen2446) December 1, 2024

And there also has to be that one commenter who dismisses the entire spectacle by saying, “It’s a mascot doing mascot things. Look at her trying to be the main character.”

Sebastian is no stranger to drawing attention. Known for his over-the-top antics, he’s often seen hyping up fans, trolling rival teams, and injecting Miami finesse and/or swagger into every contest.

And it’s worth mentioning that he’s no stranger to getting down on one knee and romancin’ the ladies, as evidenced by the 2014 (!) photo at the top of this story.

But with Miami now sitting at 10-2 on the season and their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, fans were left wondering if the ibis’ priorities might need a recalibration.

lol. its a mascot doing mascot things. look at her trying to be the main character and blow something up trying to make her self look good.

— imhereforthepopcorn (@stev87857) December 1, 2024

Wenskoski, though, appeared to take the encounter in stride, keeping her post lighthearted even as she threw shade at Sebastian’s timing.

Miami might be down for now, but the mascot’s midgame moves gave fans something to laugh about. After all, as one fan reminded us, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Maybe save it for after the final whistle next time, Seb. 

As they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take 😂. pic.twitter.com/s811HlgSFS

— Nick Roby (@nickroby) December 1, 2024

Update 3:45 p.m.: After this story was published, Sebastian the Ibis responded to coverage of the Take a Knee incident, commenting on a post on the @canes.hq fan account: “They do anything for clout 🥱.”

New Times has DM’ed the ibis with a request that he elaborate; we will update this story as events warrant.