In the middle of a heated game, passions rise and tempers are tested. Athletes are given free reign to talk smack and get in each other’s faces, but some take the competitive nature of the game all the way to the deep end – as was the case with Uruguayan soccer player Luis Suarez.
Frustrated by the iron-tight defense of the Italian team, Suarez and Italian player Giorgio Chiellini got tangled up in front of Italy’s goal when Suarez furiously bit Chiellini’s shoulder. The chomp was caught on camera with Chiellini lifting his shirt down to reveal the big red mark on his shoulder to the referees (who claimed they didn’t actually see the bite take place). Suarez, who has been repremanded twice before for the same offense, has been suspended for nine games and for the next four months, is barred from all soccer-related activities.
Suarez joins the ranks of these 7 other athletes that took bad sportsmanship to a whole different…with their teeth.
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson
Of course, the first mention of biting in sports brings everyone’s mind back to the 1997 boxing match between heavyweight fighters Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. After losing the first two rounds, Tyson claimed to be headbutt by Holyfield somewhere in teh 2nd round. As retaliation, Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear and was subsequently disqualified. The act Tyson’s boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined USD $3 million plus legal costs.
Image: Daily Mail
Ioulietta Boukouvala vs. Yurileidys Cobas
In the 2012 Judo Olympics, Grecian fighter Ioulietta Boukouvala lost her opening-round to Cuba’s Yurileidys Cobas. Boukouvala alleged that as the battle got more and more heated, Cobas bit her on the hand. Greek sports websites quoted Boukouvala, 28, as urging that officials should have taken action.
Image: Yahoo Sports
Marc Savard vs. Daniel Castillo
Hockey continues to fly under the radar as being one of the most brutal sports in existence. Many offences, including fighting and racial slurs, continue to be swept under the rug. So its no wonder that anything (including biting) goes. In 2010, Philadelphia enforcer Daniel Carcillo accused Boston Bruins player Marc Savard of biting his finger during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. “Last time I have been bit was in grade school. It’s not a good feeling. … Guys don’t bite. Men don’t bite,” Carcillo said.
Image: Sporting News
Patrice Bergeron vs. Alex Burrows
What do you know…another biting melee in hockey. At the end of the first period of the Boston Bruins‘ 1-0 loss in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, Patrice Bergeron had to be restrained in going after Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows. Bergeron later revealed to Hockey Night In the reason he lost his head was that Burrows had bitten his finger. “I don’t mind rough play and scrums at the end, as long as it’s just pushing and shoving and all that. But biting? I mean come on.”
Image: Sporting News
Tree Rollins vs. Danny Ainge
The NBA has had its own archive of finger-biting incidents, too. In 1983, Atlanta Hawks’ Tree Rollin bit Boston’s Danny Ainge on the finger in a heated showing match. Ainge gave his account of the story, recalling, “We got into a little scuffle out on the court by the foul line and he almost bit my finger off,” Ainge said. “He bit it all the way through. I had to get two stitches.”
Image: Bleacher Report
Conrad Dobler vs. Doug Sutherland
St. Louis Cardinals lineman Conrad Dobbler racked up a reputation for taking bites at players during his career. In a 1977 Sports Illustrated article, an opponent recounted, “What you need when you play against Dobler is a string of garlic buds around your neck and a wooden stake.” Shade! The only player Conrad admitted to biting was Doug Sutherland of Minnesota. “He put his fingers through my mask, and I don’t think they were there to stroke my mustache. So I bite one finger in my life. The legend grew from there. “
Aaron Asham vs. Matt Cooke
Philadelphia’s Aaron Asham alleged that Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Cooke bit him during a fight. “My glove got tangled in his mouth and he bit me, so I lost it,” said Asham. Cooke denied the charges.
Image: Post Gazette