College football rivalries can spill beyond the field, but an incident involving Tennessee’s iconic Smokey statue has now taken a legal turn. A 19-year-old has been arrested on a felony charge in connection with the alleged vandalism during the Arkansas game, putting the spotlight on what happened beyond the action on the field.
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As reported on their X account, the University of Tennessee Police Department (UTPD) has charged Beckett E. Nachtman, 19, of NJ, with felony vandalism in connection with damage done to the Smokey statue outside Gate 21 plaza on October 10. Nachtman is not affiliated with UT & was visiting individuals on campus at the time of the incident.
The vandalism has allegedly taken place in the middle of the night before Tennessee beat Arkansas on October 10. The next morning, the statue of Tennessee’s beloved mascot, Smokey, was found decapitated on a sidewalk. Authorities covered the statue with a white tarp, duct tape, and barriers to prevent further damage.
Surveillance footage showed a man in a white shirt destroying the statue before fleeing. The police found two more individuals at the scene, providing investigators with additional leads. Their investigation eventually led authorities to the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house on the University of Tennessee campus.
“Once there, officers interviewed multiple fraternity members before one member stated he was familiar with the suspects, as seen in the footage,” the report reads. “The member stated he met the suspects out the night prior, and they were from James Madison University.”
They called Nachtman as he left for home, asking him to return to the college for an interview, and he agreed. When all the suspects were being interviewed by JMU police, Nachtman admitted to “intentionally kicking the statue in the head, knocking it off its body.” He was booked into the Knox County Detention Center and is scheduled to be arraigned on October 30.
In April 2026, Smokey 12th (Neyland) debuted as the live mascot. He has appeared in basketball game preps and was set to make his big debut in the Orange and White game. He was discovered through an East Tennessee rescue group after his previous owners could no longer care for him.
The history of Smokey
Smokey, a Bluetick Coonhound, serves as the mascot of the University of Tennessee’s athletic teams, representing a longstanding tradition of school pride and spirit. The UT Pep Club, back in 1953, headed by Stuart Worden, saw that there was no sense of school spirit, as their symbol was the Volunteer, represented by a torch. Other programs had mascots that they ran behind during pep rallies.
The Pep Club decided to let students submit suggestions for which animal could be their mascot. Students and supporters proposed various animals, including bears, groundhogs, Tennessee Walking Horses, and dogs.
In the end, the choice was between the Tennessee Walking Horses, but supporters did not offer practical solutions for maintaining and caring for a live horse as a university mascot. The Pep Club unanimously decided that a hound dog would be a more practical choice.
Then came the day when dogs were presented during halftime of a game as the “Houn’ Dawg”. During halftime, several dogs took over the field as they competed for the mascot position. The final contestant was Blue Smokey, a Bluetick Coonhound owned by Reverend William C. Brooks.
When the announcer called his name, the dog barked. The students cheered, and Smokey threw his head back and howled. The crowd’s energy led to the selection of the famous mascot.
A real dog runs in the field during football games, and a mascot takes over the basketball court.