Wrestling League Bars Father Who Bites

B E N S A L E M, Pa., March 7, 2001 -- A father allegedly bit a coach during a

fracas that broke out after his 7-year-old son lost a wrestling

match.

The bite caused an injury that required a tetanus shot and

antibiotics, said Paul McGarrigle Jr., the coach who was bitten.

The father has been barred from attending matches held by a youth

wrestling club in this Philadelphia suburb.

The altercation happened during a recent contest between the

Bensalem Youth Wrestling Club and the Neshaminy Wrestling League.

When a Bensalem wrestler won the match, the father confronted a

referee and said the winning move was against the rules.

The man started shouting and left the gym after coaches said the

pin was allowed, but he returned a short time later and a shoving

match ensued, McGarrigle said. During the struggle, the father bit

him, he said.

"He just put his head down and bit me and broke the skin,"

McGarrigle said. "I was hurt, and I could not go back to work that

day."

The father then made an obscene gesture in front of the coaches

and the other children, Bensalem police said.

Police would not release the father's name because no charges

have been filed, though they could be brought later.

McGarrigle said the children were traumatized by the fight,

especially his own son.

"He was crying, and I had to go back to the gym to let him know

that I was OK," McGarrigle said. "I think that bothered me more

than anything."