LEHI — Injuries often prove athletes are people, too.

When Real Salt Lake forward Fabian Espindola injured himself celebrating a goal by doing backflips Saturday night in the team's 2-2 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy, it was an unfortunate incident. But it was only another reminder of how freak occurrences and bizarre events can result in players getting hurt.

Espindola is expected to miss the next four to eight weeks with an ankle sprain after the original diagnoses of a broken bone proved to be incorrect and only a sprain was found in an MRI. He thought he had scored a ninth minute goal — the goal was later called back due to a delayed offsides call — and celebrated with a couple of backflips. He came down funny and immediately was taken off the field.

"This has never happened to me. I don't know why it happened," Espindola said after the game. "I've done it thousands of times before. I guess it had to happen sooner or later."

It was the same celebration he used after scoring a goal against Colorado at home a couple of weeks ago without incident, and it was the same display RSL coach Jason Kreis used on numerous occasions following one of his 108 career goals.

"I did hurt myself once," said Kreis of doing back flips after scoring. "I was told by a lot of people I should stop after I got to a certain age. I definitely slowed it down when I was older."

Kreis may have slowed his acrobatics, but he also understands the reasoning behind the exuberance.

"I would never reprimand a player for doing that," Kreis added. "I think that is important. I think that is why the fans come to the game. They pay good money to see the passion and excitement of a goal. Fabian is a passionate player, and he likes to show it. It just as easily could have happened the morning of the game that he falls down the steps and is unavailable."

Examples of weird injuries are all over the sports world. Clint Barmes of the Colorado Rockies hurt himself falling down the stairs at his apartment complex. Making the story even more bizarre was the fact that it happened while he was carrying a large amount of deer venison given to him from teammate Todd Helton.

Quarterback Gus Frerotte injured his neck in a post-touchdown celebration. While with the Redskins, he banged his helmet — and head with it — against a wall and was forced from the game and missed several weeks with a sprained neck.

Baseball player Moises Alou, most recently with the New York Mets, missed the entire 1999 season with a torn ACL that he got with a freak treadmill accident.