Ex-NFL player Warren Sapp charged with biting, stepping on girlfriend

Former NFL lineman Warren Sapp is seen in this photo from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, on Feb. 2, 2015.

LAS VEGAS -- Authorities in Las Vegas have charged Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp with biting his girlfriend, throwing her to the ground and stepping on her head in an April incident that began at the M Resort in Henderson, Nevada.

The criminal complaint filed Thursday in Las Vegas Justice Court charges Sapp with three domestic battery misdemeanours that carry up to 18 months in jail if he's convicted.

The accusation is the latest charge against Sapp, who was arrested Feb. 2 in Phoenix for assaulting and soliciting a prostitute during Super Bowl weekend. He pleaded guilty to both charges. The solicitation charge was dropped last month when he completed a diversion program.

The NFL Network, where Sapp appeared as an on-air analyst since 2008, fired the former tackle and defensive end hours after his February arrest.

Three months later, a Las Vegas police report said Sapp and his girlfriend of five years were arguing when the former football player allegedly threw a margarita in her face at the resort's pool. The police report says security footage at the resort showed Sapp aggressively pull on the woman's arm or purse inside the resort, causing her to lose her balance.

Sapp's girlfriend told police that the arguing continued during the drive home and at her Las Vegas condo.

She told police that Sapp bit her middle finger at some point but couldn't remember how it happened. After returning to her condo, she told police she wasn't sure how she ended up on the floor but she remembered that Sapp had stepped on the right side of her face. She thought she may have suffered a concussion, according to the report.

Sapp could not be immediately reached for comment, and it isn't clear if he's represented by an attorney.

Sapp, who filed for bankruptcy in 2012, played in the NFL from 1995 to 2007 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

He is due in court July 23.