Uruguay’s Luis Suarez was suspended from all soccer activity for the next four months for his actions during a recent World Cup match between Uruguay and Italy.
What were these actions, exactly? Suarez appeared to actually bite Italian player Giorgio Chiellini in the shoulder while the two were fighting for possession. No penalty was called, but video replays clearly showed the bite, which was one of the strangest moments in World Cup history.
Here are some other memorable and bizarre sports moments.
Spoiler alert: Suarez wasn’t the first to take a bite out of an opponent.
Tyson vs. Holyfield, 1997
Even those who aren’t boxing fans probably remember this one. During their heavyweight fight in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield came together in the third round. Tyson then held Holyfield and bit off a piece of his ear, which was found in the ring.
For that move, Tyson was disqualified, fined $3 million and received a lifetime ban, which was overturned. It was found out later that Tyson planned the bite as retaliation for actions by Holyfield in a previous fight. As Hollywood has shown us, don’t think about stealing a tiger from a guy like that.
Georgia vs. Auburn, 1996
Here’s another near bite that caused a little controversy. This time, however, the culprit was not a player. In a college football game between Georgia and Auburn, an already-intense rivalry got even more heated when Auburn wide receiver Robert Baker scored a touchdown only to have Georgia mascot, a bulldog named Uga, lunge towards him in the end zone. The dog was only inches away from biting him in the leg. Talk about cutting a celebration short.
Swiss Super League: Servette vs. Schaffhausen, 2004
This incident doesn’t involve a bite, but it was equally as strange and even more disturbing. While celebrating a goal for his Servette soccer club, Paulo Diogo climbed a perimeter fence to embrace some of the fans. What he didn’t realize, however, is that his wedding ring got caught in the fence while climbing up. When he jumped back down to the field, part of his finger stayed in the fence. You can search for the gruesome aftermath online; there are plenty of photos.
Chargers vs. Broncos, 2011
With so many strange injuries, why don’t we throw in an awkward moment to laugh about? In a tied game late in the fourth quarter, Chargers kicker Nick Novak knew he could be called upon at any moment to kick a game-winning field goal.
So, as CBS cameras captured beautifully, Novak didn’t leave the field when he had a strong urge to use the bathroom. Instead, he appeared to pee into a Gatorade cup on the sideline while a team official held up a towel to conceal the act. Well, as they say: when you gotta go, you gotta go.
