Thursday 22 September 2016 07:38, UK
With the news that Chris Ashton has been banned for 13 weeks for a biting offence, we look back at some of the worst biting incidents in sports.
Ashton was banned after being found guilty of biting Northampton's Alex Waller during Saracens 27-17 win over Saints in their Premiership clash.
The winger may now struggle to force his way back into the England fold as he has already served a 10-week ban this year when he was found guilty of making contact with the eye of Ulster's Luke Marshall during a European Rugby Champions Cup game in January.
Thankfully biting incidents are few and far between but we look back at some of the worst biting incidents in sports and how the governing bodies have dealt with them.
Mike Tyson - Boxing
On June 28, 1997 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, Tyson faced Evander Holyfield in a bid to regain the WBA world heavyweight title. The New Yorker had suffered a shock 11th-round stoppage defeat to 'The Real Deal' the previous year and their second meeting was hotly anticipated.
In reaction to what he claims was excessive use of the head from Holyfield, Tyson bit off a section of the champion's ear and spat it across the ring. He quickly repeated the action and was disqualified. Tyson was then permanently banned, fined $3m and ordered to serve a period of community service. The decision to restore his licence was taken in late 1998 and he would return to the ring in January the following year.
Luis Suarez - Football
2010: Suarez first attacked an opponent in such a manner when plying his trade for Ajax.
During a clash with title rivals PSV in stoppage time, Suarez was involved in an altercation with Otman Bakkal, after Ajax's Rasmus Lindgren had been shown a straight red for a rough tackle on playmaker Ibrahim Afellay.
Suarez bit Bakkal on the shoulder, earning the then Ajax captain a seven-match ban, despite the incident being missed by the referee.
2013: Suarez was at it again. With Liverpool's game against Chelsea going the Blues' way in a match they needed to win to stay in the 2012/13 title race, Suarez clashed with Branislav Ivanovic in the box, with nothing out of the ordinary appearing to take place.
Ivanovic then chased referee Kevin Friend, trying to show him the bite mark on his forearm, but Suarez escaped further punishment, and dramatically went onto to grab a last-gasp equaliser.
The FA acted quickly, and banned him for 10 games, after a panel ruled the standard three-game retrospective suspension was not sufficient.
2014: Suarez's temper got the better of him again in the World Cup in Uruguay's crucial group clash against Italy.
With the score at 0-0, Suarez bit Azzurri defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder, but again escaped a caution.
Uruguay went on to knock Italy out of the competition, but Suarez's tournament was over, as he was handed a four-month ban from all football related activities, with an additional nine-match international ban thrown in.
James Graham - Rugby League
Canterbury Bulldogs prop Graham was banned for 12 matches after being found guilty of biting Billy Slater's ear during the 2012 NRL Grand Final against Melbourne Storm.
The incident occurred in the first half when tempers boiled over and a brawl erupted on the field with the referee putting the incident on report after showing the blood on Slater's ear to both captains and his line judges.
The England forward pleaded not guilty to the charge, but the NRL judiciary panel took less than 10 minutes deliberating to reach a guilty verdict - a charge that Graham strongly denied.
"I've played over 250 first-grade games, I've played league since I was seven years old," Graham said. ''I've never bitten anybody. I can't understand how anyone would think that I'd do that in an NRL Grand Final. I consider myself an honest person. I say honestly, I did not bite him.''
Kevin Yates - Rugby Union
Bath prop Yates was banned for six months after he was found guilty of biting flanker Simon Fenn's ear during a Tetley's Bitter Cup tie against London Scottish in 1998.
Fenn needed 23 stitches to repair the injury and, despite Yates protesting his innocence and trying to appeal, the ban stood and Yates also had to pay £23,000 in costs.
Yates subsequently moved to New Zealand where he played for the Hurricanes for two seasons before returning to the Premiership to play for Sale.
In 2007 he was part of England's tour to South Africa where he added two further caps to the two he had won a decade earlier in Argentina.
Joss Labadie - Football
Dagenham's Labadie earned himself six-month ban for a second biting offence in 2015.
The midfielder was found to have sunk his teeth into the hand of Ronnie Henry in Dagenham's 1-0 March win over Stevenage in the 2014/15 campaign.
Labadie had been suspended for ten matches the previous season after being found guilty of biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks while playing for Torquay United.
Johan le Roux - Rugby Union
In 1994, Le Roux was banned for 19 months after he took a chunk out of Sean Fitzpatrick's ear during a Test match between New Zealand and South Africa.
Fitzpatrick was alleged to have shoulder charged Le Roux and then prevented him from getting up, causing Le Roux to have his moment of madness.
The 19-month ban was not good enough for South African Rugby Football Union president Louis Luyt, who wanted to ban Le Roux for life for bringing 'shame onto South Africa'.
Le Roux was not banned for life though, and returned to the field in 1996, however in his second game back for the Lions he was banned for head butting Marco Caputo during a Super Rugby game against the Brumbies.
He never played for South Africa again.
Souleymane Doukara - Football
Leeds United striker Doukara was banned for eight matches for biting Fulham's Fernando Amorebieta back in March 2016.
Doukara again escaped punishment during the match, while Amorebieta was sent off for stopping a Leeds break with a handball deep into stoppage time.
Doukara, who denied the charge, was handed an eight-game ban and was also fined £5,000.
Dylan Hartley - Rugby Union
England hooker and current captain Hartley was suspended for eight weeks for biting Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris during their Six Nations clash in 2012. The incident occurred in the 23rd minute, and despite there being no television evidence, Ferris made an immediate complaint to referee Nigel Owens and the Welsh official noted what he deemed to be bite marks on Ferris' finger.
Owens called both captains together to discuss the incident but could not take further action on the field as he had not seen the incident.
Many expected Hartley to get a much sterner sentence after his 26-week ban back in 2007 for eye-gouging, however Northampton boss Jim Mallinder and then-England forwards coach Graham Rowntree spoke to the hearing commissioner about Hartley's rehabilitation in the wake of the incident.
Anthony Watts - Rugby League
Former NRL player Anthony Watts was banned for eight matches in 2013 after being accused of biting an opponent's penis during a tackle in a Gold Coast league game.
Watts was playing for the Tugun Seahawks against the Bilambil Jets and video clips show him taking the ball at dummy half and trying to barge his way over the line. However, he was held up by an opposition player and that player is then seen grabbing his groin in pain before Watts is involved in a melee with him.
Watts, who was dumped by Sydney Roosters for disciplinary reasons before ever playing a game for them, denied the allegations.
"I was wearing a mouthguard and there's no way I bit him," Watts said. "The claim is laughable, but I've still had to live with it. I know I didn't do it and the people close to me know I didn't do it, either."
