UNC forward J.P. Tokoto brings stuffed bear, Gerry, to press conference

Freshman Theo Pinson's broken foot wasn't the only news to come from North Carolina coach Roy Williams and his players meeting with the media Friday in advance of Saturday's game against Florida State.

Turns out, junior J.P. Tokoto has a stuffed bear friend he calls Gerry whom he brought along to his portion of the press conference.

Nothing like a few laughs to help a team reeling from injuries right now. Tokoto seems happy to provide them. The Tar Heels could be without four players when they host the Seminoles. In addition to Pinson, Joel Berry, Nate Britt and Stilman White could miss the game.

"Gerry is my friend, he's mine," Tokoto explained. "There is no real story behind it. He just popped up one day. We became friends. We hit it off instantly."

Tokoto said teammate Desmond Hubert, a senior forward, originally brought Gerry into the locker room but just stuffed him in his locker. Tokoto said he rescued the bear and named him 'the first name that popped into my head.'

"He's heartless," Tokoto said of Hubert.

Tokoto said he plans to bring Gerry on road trips in the future. It wouldn't be a shocker to see the giant stuffed bear around the bench Saturday afternoon.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo