From Hardman to Humble: Reflections on a Headbutting Incident in the Premier League

Premier League players and minor on-field disagreements are common occurrences, and police involvement is entirely unnecessary. When tensions rise and tempers flare, it's usually just a case of "handbags" being thrown, with no serious physical altercations or legal consequences in sight.

But, prior to his move to the Premier League with Everton in 1994, Scotsman Duncan Ferguson had spent three months in prison after headbutting Raith Rovers defender John McStay on the Ibrox pitch while playing for Rangers.

Still in his early 20s and having been convicted of three previous counts of assault, in which he didn't go to prison, this fourth incident saw the rare occurence of an on-the-field incident leading to three months jail time - not even Eric Cantona spent time behind bars for his infamous kung-fu kick.

Premier League defenders scared of Ferguson

Having moved from Dundee United to Rangers for what was then a British record transfer fee in 1993, Ferguson's reputation preceded him when he arrived at Everton a year later following his prison sentence.

"You gain a reputation in a night that it takes a lifetime to get away from," Ferguson exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "As a young guy, you do stupid things.

"We’ve all done stupid things in our lives; I did a lot of mine off the pitch at 16, 17, 18. On the pitch, I still feel aggrieved about an incident up in Scotland. Over the years, people have been more sympathetic about the time I went to prison. I’m not that guy any more.

"Is anybody the same as they were at 16, 17 or 18? I became a better person."

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While Ferguson certainly isn't proud of his action when looking back, he's merciless in his aggressive nature on the pitch. Across his 13 season in the Premier League at Everton and Newcastle United, Ferguson picked up either red cards - a joint-record.

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For the former striker, though, that's what helped give him his edge and contributed to the 68 goals he managed in England's top flight.

"As a player, though, I was aggressive: I was a strong forward and used an edge any way I could to win. I’ll never apologise for that," Ferguson adds.