Major League Eating (MLE) says it has made its determination whether to punish multiple eating champion Joey Chestnut after the competitor entered a guilty plea in an Indiana battery case.
Chestnut pleaded guilty in a misdemeanor battery case in Indiana after being charged following an altercation at a Hamilton County, Indiana, bar. He was sentenced to 180 days on probation in the case.
The court did not impose any travel restrictions on Chestnut, so he is free to attend the various contests he is scheduled to appear at over the next few months, USA Today reported early on Tuesday.
Now, the organization that governs competitive eating, the MLE, has announced that it has declined to punish the 17-time Nathan’s hot dog eating champ, according to TMZ Sports.
“Major League Eating manages the eaters for this and other contests,” George Shea, MLE chairman, told TMZ. “This incident does not violate the organization’s code of conduct, as it occurred outside any organizational event or activity and was addressed by local authorities.”
Chestnut was cited for delivering an open-handed slap to a bar patron. Through his representative, the competitive eater admits he regrets his actions but also says the incident is being “misinterpreted” and that “inappropriate things” led him to lash out at the bar patron.
The famed eater is scheduled to be on hand on July 4 for the next edition of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston