Taking a bite out of sport – Five infamous chomps

PARIS – The incident was unfathomable. Luis Suarez, star striker for the Uruguay football team, had jeopardized his side’s chances at the World Cup after biting Italian player Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder.

FIFA, perhaps taking into account the two previous times he had been sanctioned for the same behavior, handed down a stiff 9 game and four month ban, effectively ending his campaign at Brazil 2014.

Suarez’s attack is one of the most highly publicized incidents in recent sporting history, it isn’t the first of its kind. Here are five other painful cases:

Rugby League

Anthony Watts reinforced his reputation as a bad boy of Australian Rugby League after being accused of biting an opponent’s penis in a minor Gold Coast League game for the Tugun Seahawks against Bilambil Jets in 2013. A Jets player pulled down his shorts after a ruckus to show the referee he had been bitten in a painful place. Watts denied the charge vehemently. “I was wearing a mouthguard and there’s no way I bit him on the dick,” he said. His protests of innocence fell on deaf ears and he received an eight match ban. “After the judiciary panel reviewed footage as well as reports from medical staff and match officials, it found Watts guilty of contrary conduct,” read the Gold Coast Rugby League judgement.

Boxing

A 1997 heavyweight world title bout between holder Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson was billed as the ‘Sound and the Fury’. Tyson, enraged at what he saw as deliberate headbutting by the taller Holyfield, worked his gumshield free during the third round and ended by biting off part of the top of Holyfield’s ear and spat it out onto the canvas. Referee Mills Lane did not stop the fight immediately but when it became clear that Tyson had repeated the offense he had no alternative but to call it off and award the fight to the Holyfield. Tyson charged around the ring trying to get at Holyfield in his corner but the champion was led to safety. The Nevada boxing authorities fined Tyson $3 million and revoked his license, although it was restored later. In 2009 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyson apologized to Holyfield who accepted.

Rugby Union

South Africa prop Yohann ‘The Beast’ Le Roux achieved his moment of infamy in a test against New Zealand in 1994 when he nibbled at legendary hooker Sean Fitzpatrick’s ear. With blood pouring from his ear, Fitzpatrick complained to the match officials who said they had seen nothing. TV evidence was unequivocal though and the ‘Beast’ was sent home by his team managers the night after the game. Fitzpatrick later revealed Le Roux had already bitten him on his arm before going for the ear. Le Roux later received an 18 month ban. He thought he had been hard done by declaring: “For an 18 month suspension I feel I probably should have torn it off.”

Australian Rules Football

Peter Filandia was accused of biting the scrotum of rival player Chad Davis while competing for Port Melbourne against Springvale in Melbourne in 2002. Filandia excused himself by saying he had not realized what part of Davis’s body he was tucking into. “It was a split-second decision,” he said. Australian Rules authorities ordered a 10 match ban.

Rugby Union

London Scottish flanker Simon Fenn emerged from a ruck in a 1998 club game with Bath without the ball and also part of his ear. His injury required 25 stitches. He had little idea who the perpetrator was, but suspicion fell on prop Kevin Yates and despite his denials Yates was suspended for six months. Match referee Ashley Rowden said: “I’ve never experienced anything like it.” Yates tried to leave the incident behind him by moving to New Zealand to carry on his career. – Rappler.com