PHILADELPHIA — In a sport where on-ice fights and hitting is accepted, Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty was in trouble for doing just that. But after an investigation, Gritty, or at least the person inside of the costume, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Gritty, as he was only identified, was accused of hitting a 13-year-old fan in the back while in costume on Nov. 19 during a season ticket event at the Wells Fargo Center, NBC News reported.

The investigation started after season ticket holder Chris Greenwell claimed Gritty hit his son Brandon. In a statement, Greenwell said Gritty "took a running start" and punched the boy "as hard as he (Gritty) could." The alleged incident happened after the teen patted Gritty on the costume head, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Philadelphia detectives looked into the claims but said they "determined that the actions for the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged," police said in a statement, according to the newspaper.

Greenwell said he believes what his son said and what he saw, but respects the police department's investigation. There were no cameras recording the area of the arena where the alleged hit happened, the Inquirer reported.