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Italian soccer team Lazio has parted ways with Juan Bernabe, who was responsible for handling the team’s bald eagle mascot, after he shared images following his penile implant surgery.
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Juan Bernabe will be flying solo from now on.
The falconer—who handled Italian soccer team Lazio’s bald eagle mascot for 15 years—has been fired by the team after sharing photos and videos online of his prosthetic penis, the team confirmed.
Bernabe shared the content to his private social media accounts after undergoing surgery for a penile implant, which he noted was not for medical reasons.
“I had the surgery to increase my sexual performance,” he told radio show La Zanzara, per The Athletic. “Because I am very active.”
He also noted on the show that working with Lazio made him feel “very proud” and “more masculine.” However after followers shared screenshots of the image online, the Serie A team soon fired Bernabe.
“Shocked to see the photographic images and video of Mr. Juan Bernabe and to read the statements that accompanied them,” the organization shared in a statement, “Lazio announces that it has stopped, with immediate effect, all relationship with this person, given the seriousness of his behavior.”
The team added, “The club realizes—and shares—the pain that the fans will feel at the loss of the eagle in the next home games, but believes that it is not possible to be associated … with a person who, by his own initiative, has made the continuation of the relationship unacceptable.”
Andrea Staccioli/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images
E! News has reached out to both Lazio and Bernabe for comment but has not yet heard back.
Prior to his termination from the team, Bernabe was responsible for handling the team’s bald eagle Olimpia, who Lazio adopted in 2010 and has acted as mascot for the team ever since. Prior to the start of home games, Olimpia would fly over the stands of Stadio Olimpico.
But while sharing the images cost Bernabe his job, the 56-year-old—whom The Athletic reported was also temporarily suspended from the team in 2021 for performing a fascist salute and sharing his admiration for fascist leader Benito Mussolini, citing a statement from the team—said he has no regrets over sharing the images.
“I’ve never regretted anything, let alone doing something that has a medical purpose,” he shared during his appearance on La Zanzara. “For me, nudity is normal. I grew up in an open-minded family of naturists. I don’t understand what’s pornographic about the photo.”
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