On the topic of hoops, Miami Heat fans love to feel the burn, more specifically from their mascot Burnie, who doesn’t resemble any known species on this planet. But the folks who have worn the fuzzy outfit comprising Burnie have proven themselves to be quite human, and as such, have been prone to make mistakes. Probably the most famous incident that landed Burnie into that proverbial ring of fire took place in 1994 in Puerto Rico, where the Heat played an exhibition game. During the match, Burnie, or more specifically Wes Lockard, the man underneath all that fake fur, dragged an unwilling woman named Yvonne Gil-Rebollo onto the court, where she claimed her purse got wrecked, while she sustained an arm bruise and public humiliation. Gil-Rebollo, whose spouse is a federal court judge, sued the team for $1 million, but received only $10,000 in compensation after a jury ruling two years later. “This was no case for that jury,” angrily stated Ana Bonar, Gil-Rebollo’s mother, per Tampa Bay Times. “They clearly did not understand the case.”
Dodging an expensive bullet, that didn’t stop Burnie from getting into further trouble, including accidentally injuring a teacher while making a public appearance at an elementary school in 2015. Details of the settlement were confidential. Two years later, during a home game, an arena security guard suffered a leg injury after colliding with Burnie and sued the team. The outcome was never made public.
