‘I’m not a grub’: Proctor vows to beat biting allegation

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The NRL will have to prove Kevin Proctor bit Shaun Johnson on Saturday. MARK KOLBE/GETTY IMAGES

Gold Coast captain Kevin Proctor has vowed to clear his name after becoming the first player in history sent off for biting, declaring “it looks worse than it is”.

Proctor was referred straight to the judiciary after allegedly biting friend and Kiwis teammate Shaun Johnson in Saturday’s loss to Cronulla. The incident resulted in a heated clash between the pair before Proctor was ejected in his 250th NRL game.

Proctor is adamant he did not bite Johnson and the Sydney Morning Herald has learnt Proctor’s defence on Tuesday will point to two similar instances in which players were charged with biting but were later cleared.

The Gold Coast plans to use a similar defence as Storm star Jesse Bromwich, who was cleared of biting Josh Dugan in 2015 after successfully arguing he had trouble breathing with Dugan applying “overwhelming force” to his mouth.

The second similar precedent came two years later, when England winger Jermaine McGillvary was also cleared of biting Robbie Farah at the Rugby League World Cup.

“It was a weird one, I didn’t know how to react after I was sent off, I didn’t think I was going to [get sent off],” Proctor said.

“I don’t think anyone has been sent off for an alleged bite for the 120 years or however long the NRL has been going.

“I spoke to Shaun after the game and had a yarn around it. He was telling me he was surprised I got sent off as well, he was just pretty much trying to get a penalty. It was one of those things, it was an awkward tackle and his hand was in my mouth. I didn’t bite him or anything.

“It looks worse than it is. His hand was in my face and my mouth.

“I’ve played 250 games and never had any blemishes against my name. I’ve never been sent off before. The people who know me know I’m not like that, they know I’m not a dirty player or a grub like everyone is trying to portray me as.

“My record speaks for itself, I’m not that type of person. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not either.”

Proctor plans to again get in touch with Johnson, who dodged questions about the incident after the game, as he prepares his defence.

“When you play against friends in other teams, there’s always a bit of banter or extra niggle in the tackle,” he said.

“You just try to get each other. It was a bit of a heated argument afterwards but we were just trying to do our best for our team. I hope this doesn’t change anything. I hope it smooths over quickly because I let my team-mates down, that’s what I was upset about.

“They are the ones I let down. We were in the game at 12-all and we were starting to find our feet again. I let the club down and the coaches down.”

Asked if he would seek Johnson’s help in a bid to be exonerated, Proctor said: “I will speak with Shaun again and see how he is going. I will let my lawyer sort all of that stuff out.

“I think he will get back to me this arvo or tomorrow sometime. Hopefully we’ll get it sorted out sooner rather than later.

“I don’t think he meant for me to get sent off either. I still respect Shaun, I’ve got a lot of time for him. We played together for 10 years at the Kiwis, he’s still a mate of mine.”

Johnson said post-game he would not give evidence against Proctor, and the NRL cannot compel anyone to present evidence. The Sydney Morning Herald understands Johnson’s arm was not photographed at the ground on Saturday.

Proctor, who has a history of sinus problems likely to require surgery, is expected to argue he was finding it hard to breathe with Johnson’s arm on his face. Gold Coast head of performance Mal Meninga told Fox League he believed Proctor was fearing for his life.

“If anyone has looked at my nose, it looks like a ‘z’, it’s that crooked,” Proctor said.

“I can hardly breathe out of it. I was struggling to breathe a bit there because his hand was over my nose.

“There was a fair bit going on, a bit of force from his arm. To be honest, I thought I was going to get a penalty for a ‘cross face’. It is what it is, I can’t do much about it now. I just don’t want to let my team-mates or club down any more.”

Proctor said he did not deserve the stigma of being remembered as a biter.

“I’m not a dirty player and I don’t think people will remember me like that,” he said.

“I’m not worried if they do, I only worry about what people who care about me think of me. Everyone else can make their own judgment, that’s up to them, but the people I care about are the judgment that I care about.

“I just hope I don’t miss any games. I want to get back out there and make up for it with my team-mates.”

Proctor is off contract at the end of the season and hopes the incident doesn’t affect his chances of adding to his 250-game tally. The Gold Coast are weighing up whether to offer Proctor a new deal.

“I hope it doesn’t affect anything contract-wise,” he said. “I don’t think it should because it’s not my character, it’s not the type of person I am.”

“It puts a dampener on the [milestone] game and makes it a bit bittersweet. I’m proud of myself for making that achievement, it’s a huge milestone for me but it’s a little bit bittersweet now.”

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