The soon-to-retire Chris Ashton has been handed a dramatic Premiership reprieve after escaping a ban following his sending-off in Leicester’s final regular season game on Saturday. The former England winger has had his red card rescinded and is free to play with immediate effect.
Ashton, 36, was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Harlequins’ Cadan Murley which Leicester believed was only worthy of a yellow card. An independent disciplinary panel came to the same conclusion after a five-hour hearing, deciding the head contact had been indirect and did not involve a high degree of danger. Ashton admitted to an act of foul play but Murley testified to the panel that the initial contact was to his right shoulder rather than to his head.
