The man known as Ragnar missed Sunday’s home opener for the Vikings. The team’s so-called “human mascot,” who goes by the name of Joe Juranitch, reached impasse with the team over the price for his services.
He reportedly wanted $20,000 per game, an amount that caused most to think he’s been inhaling too many fumes from that chopper he drove on the field at games.
Jurantich told ESPN.com that that his demands have been misconstrued. He claims the Vikings said in August that they planned to move on, but that they may bring him back for a postseason game or a special appearance in 2015.
On Monday, the team asked him to submit a proposal for the 2015 season. He indeed requested $20,000 per game, but he says he was negotiating.
“Based on them telling me my role is going to be limited, that’s what I based the contract on,” Juranitch said. “If the sticker price on a car says one thing, you negotiate it. They didn’t negotiate anything. I even said, ‘You can take the structure of the contract and plug your own numbers in.’ They said, ‘We wouldn’t be interested in that.’”
The Vikings opted not to negotiate. He thinks they decided to leak Juranitch’s demands to the media.
“I sent it over to them about 5 o’clock Monday,” Juranitch said. “They said, ‘We can’t accept this contract.’ They went ahead and released everything that you saw. I was flabbergasted. I called them Tuesday and said, ‘Is there anything salvageable on this contract?’ They said no.”
So that’s that. Or is that that?
“I think you’re going to see me on the field Sunday, I really do,” Juranitch said. “If not, here’s what I will tell everybody: I will still respect their decision. I will be sad. All I’d like to see is my legacy continue. I’ve been carrying that axe for however many years that my father and I designed and made it. Is that going to end up in a corner all dusty? I’d like to see it in the stadium.”
It could be that the only way he’ll see the axe in the stadium is to buy a ticket for the game. He presumably can get one for a lot less than $20,000.
