Chris Ashton was banned for 13 weeks earlier this week after being found guilty of biting Northampton’s Alex Waller last weekend. The source of all information, Twitter, now knows him as “Gnashton” and the ban will rule him out of England’s internationals later this autumn.
Biting incidents are rare, but there have been a few famous cases in sport. Here we have a look at them and how the governing bodies responded.
Mike Tyson – Boxing
The “Baddest Man on the Planet” faced Evander Holyfield in 1997 in one of the most historic bouts in boxing history.
Tyson reacted to what he felt was excessive use of the head from Holyfield by biting off a section of the champion’s ear and spitting it across the ring. He repeated the action immediately and was disqualified by the referee.
Tyson was permanently banned from boxing, fined $3 million and ordered to serve community service as punishment for his actions. He returned to the ring in 1999.
Luis Suarez – Football
2010 – Suarez first bit an opponent whilst playing for Ajax. Involving himself in an altercation with Otman Bakkal, Suarez bit him on the shoulder. The Uruguayan was sentenced with a seven-match ban, despite the referee missing the incident.
2013 – Liverpool were losing to Chelsea in a must-win match for the Reds and during the game, Suarez clashed with Branislav Ivanovic in the box. In an entirely unprovoked attack, Suarez bit the Serbian defender, who proceeded to chase the referee. Suarez controversially scored a late equaliser, but the FA didn’t hesitate and banned him for 10 games.
2014 – Suarez struck again in the World Cup in a crucial match against Italy. The game was goalless at the time, but Suarez targeted Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini and again escaped on-field punishment. As the incidents stacked up though, FIFA intervened and he was handed a four-month ban from all football related activity and a nine-match international ban.
James Graham – Rugby League
Canterbury Bulldogs prop James Graham served a 12-match ban after being found guilty of biting Billy Slater’s ear during the 2012 NRL Grand Final. The incident occurred during a brawl in the first half, with the referee placing it on report. Graham strongly denied the accusations, but the judiciary panel decided his fate in less than 10 minutes.
Kevin Yates – Rugby Union
Yates was banned for six months after being found guilty of biting Simon Fenn’s ear during a Tetley’s Bitter Cup match against London Scottish in 1998. Fenn required 23 stitches and despite Yates’ protests, the ban stood and the Bath prop had to pay £23,000 in legal costs.
Joss Labadie – Football
Labadie faced a six-month ban for a second offence in 2015. The Dagenham midfielder was guilty of having a nibble on Ronnie Henry’s hand in a match against Stevenage. Labadie had previously been served with a ten-game ban the previous season after biting Chesterfield’s Ollie Banks.
Johan le Roux – Rugby Union
South Africa’s Johan le Roux is another sportsman fixated with biting the ears of his opponents. In 1994, he responded to an alleged shoulder charge from All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick by taking a chunk out of his ear and was rewarded with a 19-month ban.
The ban wasn’t sufficient for South African Rugby Union president Louis Luyt, who wanted to ban the Springbok player for life for bringing shame on South Africa.
Le Roux returned to action in 1996, but was banned in his second game back for a head butt. He never added to his three international caps.
Souleymane Doukara – Football
Earlier this year, Leeds striker Doukara served an eight-game ban for biting Fernando Amorebieta. He didn’t receive punishment on-field, but was eventually handed the ban and a fine of £5,000 in the days after the game.
Dylan Hartley – Rugby Union
Current England captain Dylan Hartley was handed an eight-match suspension in 2012 for an incident with Ireland’s Stephen Ferris. Ferris immediately complained to referee Nigel Owens, who claimed to see visible bite marks on the Irishman’s finger. Hartley escaped on-field punishment as Owens hadn’t seen the incident, but the England hooker was cited and later banned.