Burnie (mascot)
Burnie is the mascot of the Miami Heat, the NBA basketball team. Burnie is a rough, anthropomorphic depiction of the fireball featured on the team's logo.
Appearance
The Burnie costume is a full-body suit. The body is orange fur, with orange feathers for hair. The "nose" is a green basketball. Burnie wears number 0 for the Heat, typically in a black uniform, although he has also worn the Heat's red and white jerseys during playoff promotions. He also sometimes wears a white team T-shirt.
During the 2012 NBA Playoffs, in accord with the team's "White Hot Playoffs" theme, Burnie's costume temporarily changed to an all-white version of the same suit, with black trim around the jersey's text.
Legal problems
Burnie was sued in 1994 during an exhibition game in Puerto Rico. Burnie selected a woman from the audience, dragged her by the feet, and danced on the court with her during a time-out. The woman turned out to be the wife of a federal judge. The woman pulled away from Burnie and fell. Incredibly, Burnie faced 20 years in jail after being charged with aggravated assault and battery. It was later discovered Burnie was beaten and shaved by fellow prisoners. Since Burnie committed the crime, and not the man in the suit, the man was forced to wear the suit in prison. This caused even more beatings and fights. Burnie was also sued for US$1 million for emotional distress. The media ridiculed the case. The woman appeared several times on late-night television. The case was settled for $50,000.[1]
References
- ↑ "$50,000 Damages Allowed for Spectator Pulled from Seat by Miami Heat Mascot". Swlearning.com. Retrieved 2010-09-29.