Teacher sues Miami Heat after team mascot allegedly injures her

Heat mascot Burnie has found himself in a bit of trouble.

Mascot shenanigans are commonplace. It kind of comes with the job description.

But the Miami Heat's Burnie, a strange, amorphous and vaguely bird-like ball of fire, has found himself in a bit of trouble.

The Miami New Times reported that local schoolteacher Susan Sanchez claims Burnie injured her at a school event back in 2013, through a pep-rally dance move gone wrong. 

"Suddenly and without warning and without verbal or written consent, Burnie touched Plaintiff and attempted to lift her leg past 90 degrees, and push out her right leg in an effort to have her do a split," reads the suit. 

Sanchez says she already had plates and screws in her back, and suffered a labral tear of her left hip in the incident.

Sanchez and her husband are suing the Heat organization for negligence, battery, and loss of consortium, seeking unspecified damages. 

Burnie, who does not have a mouth, was unavailable for comment.

- Jeremy Woo