Southwest
Former Dallas Cowboys NFL mascot says job was not on bucket list, shares Rowdy experience as 'face' of brand
There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the person under a mascot suit. A former college and NFL mascot has put a human face to the character by sharing his experience stepping into the “Rowdy” suit for the 2022-2023 Dallas Cowboys season and how he got there.
“Mascots aren’t really known, and I really wanted to change that,” Eric Aaberg, a former mascot for the Dallas Cowboys, told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview.
He now uses TikTok to talk about his time being the “face” of the Cowboys and what it was like being Rowdy as a 22-year-old while also balancing life as a college student.
In addition to stepping into the Rowdy costume for events and game days, Aaberg also spent a lot of his time with the organization creating social media content. (Eric Aaberg Photography)
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Aaberg’s road to Rowdy happened by a bit of luck and taking a chance on something new. While he was attending the University of Texas at Dallas, he was approached to join the cheer team and later asked to be the school’s mascot, Temoc.
“Being a mascot was not on my bucket list for college,” Aaberg said.
He was reluctant to accept the role at first but ended up taking on the opportunity and continued to be the mascot for five years.
Being Rowdy is no small task. There are a lot of other events that the mascot is needed for beyond just game days. (Brad Schloss/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
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Becoming Temoc ultimately led to Aaberg getting the chance to try out for Rowdy, the mascot for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys reached out to UT Dallas, expressing their interest in Aaberg being their mascot.
“The tryout process was literally one interview,” Aaberg said, noting that it helped that he already had experience working as a mascot and also with creating social media content.
After being hired and attending one event, on top of some additional training, Aaberg became Rowdy, a character that has a much larger presence than just hyping up the crowd at games and posing for photos with fans.
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“I think the common misconception is people think the mascots are only at games, but actually, the mascots and cheerleaders are at tons of corporate events, I want to say over 300 throughout the year,” Aaberg told Fox News Digital. “Sometimes that’s seven times a week, sometimes that’s five times a week, sometimes that’s 10 times a week.”
At the time when he got the job, he was still a college student. Though there were multiple people who were mascot performers for the team, the schedule was still a packed one.
Aaberg was part of a rotating cast of individuals who took turns playing Rowdy at games and other events. (Eric Aaberg Photography)
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The typical call time for game days was 6 a.m., according to Aaberg, with other responsibilities including driving around the “Rowdy van,” which carries the mascot costume, and going to upwards of four-hour corporate events.
“At the end of the day, being a mascot is just another form of marketing. You are literally the walking face of the brand,” Aaberg said, who often made social media content featuring Rowdy during his time with the team.
For those who want to become a mascot for their college team or even a professional sports team, Aaberg attributes qualities like being passionate, energetic and dedicated to success in the job.
“You have to be passionate about school spirit, being passionate about really wanting to put a smile on people’s faces, making these Tiktok trends, having that reason to put on the suit,” Aaberg said.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Long Beach man arrested for murder in deadly hit-and-run crash
A 23-year-old man from Long Beach is in custody following a deadly hit-and-run crash in Riverside County Saturday.
The crash happened around 8:09 a.m. near the intersection of Dinah Shore Drive and George Montgomery Way in the city of Rancho Mirage, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responded and found one of the involved drivers, 57-year-old Teresa Bowlin of Cathedral City, dead at the scene. The other driver, Tyler Conant of Long Beach, ran from the scene of the crash, according to the sheriff’s department.
“During the investigation, it was determined that Conant was under the influence of alcohol [at the time of the crash],” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Conant was arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for murder and felony hit-and-run.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Deputy Bret Meservey at (760) 836-1600.
Los Angeles, Ca
Long Beach to hold new pride festival after previous one canceled
Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.
Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit.
It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.”
Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday.
Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.
“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”
“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.
The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show.
More information can be found here.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say
A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.
The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.
“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”
Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”
In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”
The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.
In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City.
Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.
Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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