PETA blasts raccoon-killing Husker

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The president of an animal rights group wants Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst to punish a football player for killing a raccoon that bit him during his attempt to take a picture of himself with the animal.

Jack Gangwish spotted the raccoon on the side of a road near Lincoln on Dec. 3 and stopped to take a selfie. When Gangwish approached, the raccoon bit him on the calf. Gangwish used a wrench from his truck to kill the raccoon.

In tweets that have since been deleted, Gangwish posted a picture of him with the raccoon and followed that up with a shot of a bite mark on his leg.

"Guys... I got bit by a raccoon... It just looked so soft and friendly I couldnt help it!" wrote Gangwish, a junior who is listed as a 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive end.

Gangwish later shared with his followers that he didn't have rabies.

PETA president Ingrid Newkirk wrote to Eichorst: "It's time for acts of cruelty to animals committed by players to be taken extremely seriously, and with violence in football culture now under the microscope, this is the time to address the issue."

A message was left for Eichorst on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.