Football coach brings tiger to practice

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SEATTLE, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The University of Washington football coach had a live tiger brought to practice to give players a taste of what they face against Louisiana State University.

Steve Sarkisian said he prepared his players to face LSU, which has a mascot named Mike the Tiger, by bringing a live tiger to practice at the Seattle school, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday.

The school said LSU stations Mike the Tiger near the opponents' locker room and players have to run past his cage on their way to the field.

"I was like, 'Oh, a Tiger? Why do we have a Tiger here?'" freshman linebacker Travis Feeney said. "It was kind of scary at first.''

The coach told his players that getting used to having a tiger nearby the field will keep them from getting distracted during this weekend's game.