TORONTO – Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has cemented his name among the list of sports most infamous biting incidents after he bit a player in Tuesday’s match against Italy.
FIFA gave Suarez a four month ban from all soccer activities, including his next nine international matches for Uruguay, which puts him out of the World Cup and rules him out for next year’s Copa America.
READ MORE: Bettors cash in on Suarez’s bite
Athletes using their teeth on one another has a long history in sports, earning a special kind of outrage from both fans and players alike.
Here’s a look at five other famous sports bites:
Grabovski bites Pacioretty’s wrist
On February 9, 2013 the Montreal Canadiens were on their way to a 6-0 rout against the Toronto Maple Leafs when a melee ensued between several players including the Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski and Habs forward Max Pacioretty.
During the scuffle, Pacioretty reached from behind and put his arm across Grabovski’s face in an attempt to grab his helmet. Grabovski admitted to biting Pacioretty, but said it was in self-defence.
Suarez : repeat offender
Not only has Suarez been suspended from the World Cup for biting, but the superstar striker has been suspended twice in the past for sinking his pearly whites into players.
While playing for Ajax in 2010 he was banned seven games by the Netherlands football federation after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal.
After signing with Liverpool in 2013, he bit Chelsea player Branislav Ivanovic and received a 10 match suspension.
In addition to biting, Suarez has also been suspended for hurling racial slurs at Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, receiving a 9 game ban and fine of £40,000 ($73,000CAD).
Tree bites man
During a 1983 NBA playoff game between the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, the Hawks’ Wayne “Tree” Rollins and Celtics’ Danny Ainge collided on court leading to a scuffle.
Rollins bit a finger on Ainge’s right hand resulting in stitches.
The following day the Boston Herald ran the headline “Tree Bites Man.”
Defoe bites West Ham’s Mascherano
Jermain Defoe currently works as the star striker for Toronto FC, but in a past life as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur Defoe was considered one of the Premier League’s bad boys.
During a match against West Ham, Defoe took exception to a tackle from Javier Mascherano and bit him on the shoulder. Both players received yellow cards in the incident.
Tyson vs. Holyfield
In perhaps the most iconic bite in sports history is the 1997 heavyweight fight in Las Vegas between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.
After losing to Holyfield in the first bout, Tyson again found himself on the ropes in the re-match when he bit Holyfield, taking off a small chunk of his right ear.
Tyson was eventually disqualified in the fight.
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