Bites happen.
Following Luis Suarez’s attempt to chomp on the right arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during an English Premier League game, former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, the unofficial title-holder of the most famous bite in American sports history, weighed in on the familiar subject.
Tyson, who was fined $3 million and received a lifetime ban from boxing, which was later overturned, after biting Evander Holyfield during a match in 1997, believes that the Uruguayan should not be punished so severely.
“He [Suárez] bit someone, it happens. I am sure he will make amends with this guy,” Tyson told the David Glenn radio show. “I made amends with Evander and we got on with our lives.”
Suarez, who Tyson follows on Twitter, was charged with violent conduct by the English FA on Monday. In 2010, Suarez was suspended for seven games after biting an opponent during a Dutch league match and he was also suspended for eight games the following year after making racial insults to Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
This season, Suarez ranks second in the Premier League with 23 goals.