The man behind Watford’s controversial Harry the Hornet mascot has stood down

The Watford mascot was most famous for diving in front of Wilfried Zaha after a game in 2016.

The man who has entertained Watford fans in a giant hornet outfit for a decade has stepped away from his duties.

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Gareth Evans, who has been performing as Harry the Hornet since 2008, tweeted his decision ahead of Watford’s game against Manchester United on Saturday.

In the tweet, Evans mentioned that it was his own decision, and that he was: “Proud of what I have achieved, the memories made and the experiences I’ve had.”

But not all of those experiences have been to everyone’s taste.

On Boxing Day 2016, after a 1-1 draw between Watford and Crystal Palace, Harry the Hornet dived on the pitch in a move that hyped up diving claims around Palace forward Zaha, who sent Evans this tweet the next day.

“The mascot is out of order, isn’t he? If someone is diving, they don’t get that angry,” then-manager Sam Allardyce said after the game. “There’s contact. It wasn’t given.”

Current manager Roy Hodgson also spoke on the incident ahead of a game between the two sides earlier this season, insisting he would never let a Palace mascot do anything like that, and also claiming that Zaha does not dive.

Watford's Nordin Amrabat (left) and Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha (right) battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Vicarage Road, Watford.

Watford fans took to Twitter to let Evans know he would be missed with his dance routines and drumming during games regularly keeping fans at Vicarage Road in high spirits.

And while some fans pointed out that Evans’ successor would have big shoes to fill, both figuratively and literally, the man himself tweeted: “Designed a new pair, they’ll have them to wear…. they’ll look mint.”

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SUNBURY ON THAMES, England (AP) — Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp was celebrating Friday after his horse The Jukebox Man raced to victory at the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.

Priced at 7-1, The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Ben Jones, was called a nose in front of second-place finisher Banbridge after a photo finish.

“That’s a dream and to have a horse that good is unbelievable. I love the game, to come here on King George day and just run made me so proud, but to have the winner is special," said Redknapp, a former FA Cup-winning manager. “What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievable."

The Jukebox Man was behind pacesetter Il Est Francais for much of the race and took the lead before the final bend.

Four horses had the chance win at the final fence, including last year's winner Banbridge, Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie.

“It really is the moment where you score the winning goal in the cup final with a minute to go," Pauling said. "It’s as tight as it gets and I had no idea how we got on. The cameras thought he won, but I didn’t want to believe it until I heard that tannoy. It’s something very special and Harry has been an exceptional owner for me and we’ve always had a huge amount of luck. I’ve always had huge faith in this horse and so has Harry as well."

Redknapp managed Premier League clubs including West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham during a long career. He won the FA Cup as manager of Portsmouth in 2008.

AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Harry Redknapp, left, and Sandra Harris celebrate after their horse The Jukebox Man won the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase ridden by Jockey Ben Jones during day one of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury-on-Thames, England, Friday Dec. 26, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

The Jukebox Man ridden by Ben Jones, centre, on their way to winning the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase during day one of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury-on-Thames, England, Friday Dec. 26, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Ben Jones, right, celebrates with Harry Redknapp after The Jukebox Man wins the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase during day one of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury-on-Thames, England, Friday Dec. 26, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)