Kevin Proctor bite: Shaun Johnson breaks silence on incident on Instagram
Shaun Johnson has spoken for the first and only time about the Kevin Proctor biting incident. While he says his statement is ‘not an apology’, it puts the controversial moment in a new light.
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Shaun Johnson says he believes Kevin Proctor was telling the truth when the Gold Coast skipper told him he didn’t bite him during their fiery clash on Saturday.
Proctor was sent off for the alleged bite and will learn his fate at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday evening. If he’s found guilty he most likely won’t play again this season.
Ahead of the hearing, Johnson posted a lengthy statement on Instagram saying he was mistaken when he initially thought Proctor “had a nibble on my arm”.
“Time to clear the air and let you know where I stand on what happened during last weeks game. This is not an apology,” he wrote.
“After this post I won’t be talking about it again so take what you want from it and jog on. To the media outlets that’ll likely grab this and twist it. Please don’t.
“Do I believe Kev had a nibble on my arm? At the time yes I did — otherwise I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did. Since then I have spoken to Kev and he’s told me he didn’t and I believe him. I’ve also had time to watch the footage — the same footage you’ve all seen and can see that maybe the force I had against his open mouth with my arm could have been the reason I felt what I did.
“In the heat of the moment I reacted the way I did and I can’t change that, no way did I think he would get sent from the field but I did think we’d get something for it. I hate that this has taken attention away from the fact it was Kevs 250th first grade game and what an unreal player he has been for so long for both club and country. I’ll be supporting Kev at judiciary tonight where I can, as I believe him being sent off and ultimately costing his team the game is big enough punishment.
“That’s where I stand, take what you want from it. I’m not here to please everyone and I know the “did he bite” debate has divided the rugby league community which is fine but I’ll remain honest & transparent to myself and those who follow me. Those who have sent messages of support through I really appreciate it & to those calling me snitch or a rat well hey maybe I am but all I’m thinking about is my team.”
BITE VICTIM’S MASSIVE CALL ON PROCTOR
The player who required eight stitches when bitten on the nose by Wests halfback Tom Raudonikis has controversially called for Gold Coast skipper Kevin Proctor to escape suspension.
And former Manly and Australian halfback John Gibbs has claimed Proctor’s dismissal against Cronulla last Saturday should be deemed “send-off sufficient” for what was a “very minor incident” and an “over-reaction”.
“It was a little nip or suck,” Gibbs said. “The act wasn’t serious. I’m not sure he did bite him.”
Proctor was referred directly to the NRL judiciary for a Tuesday night hearing when charged with biting Sharks halfback Shaun Johnson. He will appear via video link from the Gold Coast for a hearing which will start at 6pm.
A New Zealand Test veteran, Proctor is facing an eight- to 12-game suspension, although Gibbs is adamant reckless headhigh tackles which cause severe concussion should be deemed more dangerous than biting.
Raudonikis bit Gibbs — on debut — during a match at Lidcombe Oval in June, 1976. It led to a famous front cover of Rugby League Week in which Raudonikis wrote a first-person story with a headline that roared: “I’m the phantom biter!”
Asked about Proctor, Gibbs, who still carries a scar from Raudonikis’s fangs, said: “We have to get some perspective. It was a very minor incident. It didn’t cause any damage or have any potential to cause any damage, yet he gets sent off.
“To be sent off for something that wasn’t going to hurt someone ... it didn’t look good but it was more a ‘get your arm off my face’. If it was malicious, that’s different, but in this case a send-off is sufficient.
“I think there is an over-reaction and we can blur the lines over what can really hurt someone and what is nothing much.
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“I’m not sure he did bite him. If he’s found not guilty, Gold Coast have been completely duded.
“In this day and age, we can take things out of perspective. We talk about concussions and head injuries. Dylan Napa led with his head in a game on Sunday (he was charged with grade one dangerous contact head/neck). That is far more malicious and dangerous than what Kevin Proctor did.”
Gibbs also noted that Warriors forward Jack Hetherington avoided being sent off in round 12 for a terrible high tackle on Manly’s Marty Taupau, who missed Sunday’s game against Newcastle because of the side effects.
“That to me if far more serious than what Kevin Proctor did,” Gibbs said. “Did Proctor warrant a send-off when players are getting their heads taken off and staying on the field and nothing happens? I don’t get it.
“The same referee (Henry Perenara) didn’t send Jack Hetherington off for a serious tackle yet wants to send Proctor off, for what may or may not have been a little nip or suck. That’s a bigger issue.”
Gibbs recalled the Raudonikis bite at Lidcombe Oval, saying: “I can remember it like it was yesterday. My nose was bitten. I ran from a scrum and Tommy got me, lay on me, and latched onto my nose, which was completely in his mouth, and shook it like a dog.
“I got six to eight stitches and you can still see the scar. It didn’t worry me, I couldn’t care less, it was a different era.
“I certainly didn’t dob Tommy in. I was on debut and had scored a couple of tries. I wasn’t fazed by it.”
The Daily Telegraph did not ask Raudonikis to comment because he is continuing a courageous fight against cancer.
Former NSW captain and coach Laurie Daley also has doubts about whether Proctor bit Johnson.
“I just don’t see Proctor clamping his mouth down and going ‘bang’,” Daley told The Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast. “I don’t think it was a classic bite, no.
“I certainly think (Proctor) put force on Johnson’s arm. Johnson had his arm around the neck area and then around the face.
“You could see Proctor had his mouth open and had a mouthguard in. But I didn’t see Proctor coming down with a classic bite where he closes the top of his jaw and clenches.
“But I see his mouth open and his mouthguard on the skin of Johnson and forcing his mouth, but not in a clenching action.
“I’ve watched it a number of times and I can’t see where the jaw comes together and there’s a bite down.”
The media will not be permitted into the judiciary chambers but will watch via video from an adjoining room at League Central.
Raudonikis was fined $200 for biting Gibbs.