DeForest Buckner dresses Tyquan Lewis as Oregon Duck mascot after Ohio State loss

Indianapolis Colts (4-3) defensive lineman DeForest Buckner arrived at the podium Wednesday with a special guest.

Buckner, the former Oregon Ducks star, introduced the media to the Oregon Duck, the university’s mascot, per James Boyd of The Athletic. But under the costume was teammate Tyquan Lewis, who played collegiate ball at Ohio State. Oregon picked up a 32-31 victory over the Buckeyes earlier this month, Lewis coming out on the losing end of their wager. And so, Lewis had the unfortunate responsibility of facing the public dressed as the Oregon Duck.

#Colts DT DeForest Buckner just burst into the media room with the Oregon Duck, who he’d reveal is Tyquan Lewis. I guess Tyquan, a former Ohio State player, lost a bet to DeFo, a former Oregon player, when the Ducks knocked off the Buckeyes. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/90TXgf2sm0

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 23, 2024

“See, this specific Duck is a bad Duck,” Buckner said before revealing the Duck to be Lewis. “He’s a long-life Ohio State Buckeye fan and a lot of training and a lot of beating into him, he became Oregon’s biggest supporter.”

It’s all in good fun of course, and Lewis appeared to get a laugh out of it. Obviously, Buckner did, who has to be enjoying watching the now No. 1 team in the nation every weekend.

DeForest Buckner inching closer towards Colts return

Wednesday was a big day personally for Buckner, as the Colts designated him to return to practice. Buckner, 30, has been nursing a high-ankle sprain since Week 2 and has played in just two games this season.

The three-time Pro Bowler has 34.0 sacks since joining the Colts in 2020 and will be a big-time addition to Indianapolis’ defense. There is a chance the Colts have both Buckner and running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) back in the lineup in Sunday’s Week 8 road tilt against the Houston Texans (5-2).

“We’ll see how the week goes,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “But we feel really good about it.”