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Mascot's game jump puts the hurt on university

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Mascot's game jump puts the hurt on university

Arizona State University reportedly could pay a devil of a settlement to a former Arizona lawmaker after the school's mascot injured the man's back during a football game.

Sparky the Sun Devil reportedly jumped on the back of David Schapira, who was standing on the school's sidelines in Tempe, Arizona, during a football game against the University of New Mexico in September, according to the Arizona Republic newspaper.

Mr. Schapira, who served in the Arizona Senate from 2011 to 2013, said on his Twitter account in September that the incident happened two months after he underwent back surgery. A meme posted to his account says he felt a “pop” in his back during the incident, and he told the mascot to “get off” of him.

Mr. Schapira went to a local emergency room soon after Sparky jumped on him, he said via Twitter. Pictures of the accident tweeted by Mr. Schapira show Sparky consoling him while he was doubled over in pain.

The Republic says Mr. Schapira suffered a muscle tear that could take up to six months to heal. He is now reportedly seeking about $120,000 in damages from Arizona State in relation to the accident.

“There has been no contention behind the scenes whatsoever. They've been extremely helpful,” Mr. Schapira told the Republic about Arizona State's cooperation in his recovery.

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