Looks like Paws the panther got a little greedy.
Australia’s Penrith Panthers rugby team benched Paws the mascot after the fellow inside pleaded guilty to 11 fraud charges, according to the team’s Web site.
Turns out Brian James Davis, a 35-year-old dwarf, was playing the purple cat while collecting more than $45,000 U.S. in disability pension payments from the government.
The club dropped Davis as the mascot, although the team says he will remain a full-time employee.
Davis was sentenced to 18 months home detention, and he must repay the money.
The team reports it has yet to decide if another person will become Paws.
There’s also a chance Paws could be replaced by another mascot, which would make for an interesting gaggle of characters lined up outside the team’s office.
