I don't know what took place, but why would you say anything to any media outlet at all? Why get a lawyer to send cease and desist letters to the mascot company?
If they wouldn't treat fans like second-class citizens, this could have all been avoided. Why not just say from the first email, conversation, if they didn't want that spirit leader to be an albino alligator, then be upfront about it! Send an email saying, “This mascot does not align with our values and branding as a university."
If you had said that from the beginning, this could have all been avoided.
No lawyers, no media, no backlash—it could have ended right there. Just be respectful to the recipient.
Like I said, I have no clue what took place. My problem in all of this is how it was handled. If they had any type of dialogue, it could have been avoided