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Arizona State mascot's ill-timed leap costs state $76K

Related Topics: Arizona, Mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil

Next time, Sparky will check the medical history.

The state of Arizona paid $76,342 to a Tempe city council member who was injured when Arizona State's mascot jumped on his back during halftime of a game last fall, the Arizona Republic reports.

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Unbeknownst to everyone's favorite Sun Devil, David Schapira had undergone back surgery two months before the Sept. 18 incident. The 36-year-old former state legislator said he felt a pop in his lower back when Sparky mounted up, and Schapira's wife and another council member yelled at the mascot to get off.