Duncan Ferguson became first pro-footballer in Britain to be jailed after on-field incident

Duncan Ferguson became the first pro-footballer in Britain to be jailed after an on-field incident and it happened back in 1994.

On the 16th of April around 28 years ago, in a Scottish Premiership fixture against Raith Rovers, then-Rangers striker Duncan Ferguson decided to headbutt defender John McStay.

It was an incident that would landed him a three-month prison sentence for assault, becoming the first professional player in Britain to be jailed for an on-field offence and remains the only to do so.

As a result of his actions on the pitch, Ferguson, who signed for Rangers the previous year for a record £4 million fee.

ST | Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Disorderly, as he was known to his dearest friends, was noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, which resulted in nine red cards and a three-month prison sentence following this headbutt: pic.twitter.com/cURFQUPko9

— Pro:Direct Soccer (@ProD_Soccer) June 25, 2018

With headbutt incident leaving McStay with a cut lip, Ferguson was convicted of assault at Glasgow Sheriff Court having lost his appeal and was sentenced to three months in jail. His third conviction for assault.

He served 44 days in the city’s Barlinnie prison before being released and was also banned for 12 games by the Scottish Football Association.

Years later and the former Everton striker, who was playing for The Toffees at the time of being jailed, claimed he shouldn’t have been made an example of and described the headbutt on McStay as “nothing”.

In a chat with Everton fan channel Toffee TV in 2019, Ferguson opened up about the incident and his stay in prison.

“It was wrong me being there, it wasn’t fair,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been in there and I think a lot of people understood that.

“It’s not as if I was in for doing anything bad really. My God, it was nothing.

“The fans got me through it, a lot of them wrote to me. It was unbelievable all the letters and the support that I got.

“I got all the letters when I was in there and obviously you have got a lot of time on your hands when you’re in there to read through them all.

“It definitely gets you through it and you never forget those things.”

🗓 #OnThisDay 1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣4️⃣: #Rangers beat Raith 4-0 at Ibrox. Record £4m signing Duncan Ferguson scored but the match is infamous for his headbutt that saw him serve 3 months in Barlinnie, the only player to ever goto jail for on field actions. He was also banned for 12 games by SFA. pic.twitter.com/yRCHvJqWu4

— 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 (@WATP72RFC) April 16, 2022

Back in 2019, John McStay talked about the Ferguson headbutt incident during an interview, where he opened up about his battle with depression following the clash in 1994.

“No one knows I had it [depression]. No one apart from my wife really knows,” he told The Scotsman.

“I was on medication for 18 years. It changed me, put it that way. I am not blaming the headbutt. Things happen in life. Getting divorced as well.

“I stopped playing football at the same time. Everything just happened. Things happen in life you cannot handle.

“But I lost a bit of belief, hope. I could not handle not being at Raith Rovers anymore.

“That’s the thing, I was only 28 when it happened – it felt as if I was maybe in my 30s, at the end of my career. I was only 28 and that was it. Done.”

We all surely recall the time Ferguson fought off two burglars at his home with one taken to hospital.

Back in 2001, the former Rangers and Scotland player was praised by police for acting ”bravely and responsibly”.

The 6ft 4ins striker tackled the intruders at his house near Ormskirk, Lancashire, at about 1am.

One man, whom Ferguson detained after a scuffle, was taken by ambulance to hospital but the other left the scene. Ferguson, then a 29 year old,suffered minor injuries to his head but didn’t need hospital treatment.

Lancashire Police said the householder had asked not to be named but sources at Everton confirmed Ferguson was involved. Local residents said a police helicopter had circled the modern house in Rufford.

Inspector Steve Sansbury said officers attended a report of a burglary near Ormskirk at about 1.05am and found one alleged offender still on the premises, having been detained by the householder.

He said: ”One of the alleged offenders was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries sustained in a scuffle with the householder. Another alleged offender fled the scene. Police inquiries are continuing to trace him.”

He added: ”We are satisfied that the homeowner, who was also injured in the incident, acted both bravely and responsibly when encountering these intruders in his home.”

Mr Sansbury said a 21-year-old man was arrested and has been detained at Ormskirk General District Hospital.

Susan Smith, who lives close to Ferguson’s house, a converted barn, said: ”I knew something was wrong because the helicopter doesn’t fly round here very often, yet yesterday it kept on buzzing over.

”We didn’t see any commotion or police cars or anything but we thought something must have happened.”

In 1991 he was convicted of head-butting a policeman in Stirling and fined £125.

The following year, he was fined £200 after he punched and kicked a postman who was on crutches.

In the third assault, at Anstruther, Fife, in 1992, an argument took place in a pub and a fisherman was knocked to the ground.

Ferguson was given a lifeline with a £4m move south to Premier League outfit Everton, but on the eve of his first Merseyside derby, he failed a breath test, which cost him £500 and a one-year driving ban.