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At least she couldn't reach his ear.
The live-in girlfriend of Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson was arrested in a domestic dispute after authorities say she bit the 6ft 10in, 265-pound player.
Shirley Lewis was booked into Salt Lake County jail late Thursday, records show. She was later released.
'It was just abrasions, those types of things,' Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Mark Askerlund told the Deseret News. 'There were no serious injuries, but it was an assault.'
Biter: Shirley Lewis, 38, was booked into a Utah county jail late Thursday night after biting her NBA basketball playing boyfriend on the back
Prosecutors were reviewing possible separate charges against Mr Jefferson, Cottonwood Heights police Sgt. Dan Bartlett said Friday.
Mr Jefferson, 26, and Lewis, 38, were having an argument at about 8:45pm Thursday 'when she hit him and bit him on the back' in front of her two children aged 3 and 9, according to a police report.
Lewis, who was described in jail records as 5ft 7in and 170 pounds, was booked on one charge of domestic assault and a second charge of domestic violence in the presence of a child, both misdemeanors.
Mr Askerlund revealed Lewis is the one who placed the call to the police that night.
Attacked: Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson, speaking with the media in April, was in an argument with his girlfriend in front of her two kids when she reportedly hit him and then bit his back
Tackling: Mr Jefferson's girlfriend is 5ft 7in weighing 170 pounds, in comparison to his NBA size of 6ft 10in and 265-pounds
As of Friday it wasn't clear if Lewis had an attorney.
She did not attend either her arraignment or the afternoon hearing following her release, according to a justice court clerk.
A message left at a phone number listed under her name was not immediately returned.
Mr Jefferson's agent didn't return a message Friday, and Jazz spokeswoman Linda Luchetti said the team had no information.
'It's a personal issue regarding a player, and our focus is on basketball. We don't comment on players' personal lives,' she said.
Mr Jefferson started all 82 games last season and led the team in scoring with 18.6 points a game.
He was due to show up for the opening of Jazz training camp Friday afternoon.
Police said they responded to Lewis' call from Mr Jefferson's mansion in the Salt Lake suburb of Cottonwood Heights.
Mr Bartlett said police officers are obligated under Utah law to make at least one arrest in a domestic dispute that turns physical.
Cottonwood Heights prosecutor Mark Eddy didn't return a message Friday.
According to the Deseret News, the couple have been dating for several years.
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