With the Saints player suspension less than a week old, former Vikings receiver Cris Carter re-confirmed what many of us already knew, or at least believed, about the sport of football: “bounties” have long been a part of the game.
“I’m guilty of it,” Carter said of using bounties. “It’s the first time I’ve ever admitted it. But I put a bounty on guys before. I put bounties on guys. And the guys tried to take me out, a guy tried to take a cheap shot on me, I put a bounty on him, right now.”
Carter insisted that he used bounties strictly as a defense mechanism, but also witnessed times when bounties were use to target specific players on opposing teams.
“Protect me. . . . Protect me from him. . . . Especially if he’s playing a different position where I can’t protect myself,” Carter said. “I’d tell one of them guards, ‘Hey man, this dude is after me, man. Bill Romanowski.’ He told me he’s gonna me out before the game, in warmups. No problem. ‘I’m gonna end your career, Carter.’ No problem. I put a little change on his head before the game. Protect myself, protect my family. That’s the league that I grew up in.”
Since the day the news of “Bounty Gate” first broke I have maintained a pretty uninspired stance on the matter, despite some very emotional reactions from other Vikings faithful, but part of my measured response to this story has to do with the assumption that this troubling practice was not isolated within the City of New Orleans, with a Gregg Williams defense, or even just within the NFL.
Instead, it is becoming clear that this was a widespread problem that Roger Goodell has decided there is no room for in a league run by him.
The Saints will take the fall, but bounties have been around for a long time and have infiltrated many locker rooms.
Including, apparently, the Vikings locker room.
View Comments
I think this might hurt him more than he imagines. the reason he is not in the hall of fame is only because of off the field issues. This doesn't help him in that case. I actually begin to wonder if he will ever make it to the hall now.
CC is an idiot, he needs to crawl into a hole and never come out, why espn employs him is beyond a mystery to me. Cris has terrible analysis, is an idiot who can't contribute to conversions and debates, and contributes worthless commentary.
There seems to be a pattern of this dilema, Skol... Cris Carter, Michael Irvin, Trent Dilfer, Keyshawn Johnson....
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Maybe he shouldn't have said all that, but at least he's being honest. You have the choice to turn the channel or not read the articles. I'm glad he was a Viking. Maybe you'll tune in when he gets in the hall?
I was too young to watch football when he played (first year I ever saw a game was 98) so I was never a huge carter fan. The fact that he is an idiot, terrible at his job, and comes off as arrogant shouldn't be overlooked because hes "honest". A good person also wouldn't rat out his teammates like he did. He is beginning to remind me of Mr. McNabb.
Interesting atricle about how one senator's bid to stall the Vikings bill failed........................http://www.dailynorseman.com/2012/5/9/3009261/minnesota-vikings-stadium-sean-nienow-yes-vote#comments
I don't think he's an idiot. So what?! Placing a 'bounty' for protection from players like Romanowski, to me, doesn't carry the same disgust as some of things said/witnessed about NO's operations. One begats the other...
One of Romanowski's roid rage incidents, i believe, ended one of his own teamates's careers if not, a season. Shattering the guy's eye socket and requiring surgery.
To all you C.C. haters: he was the life of our favorite team for years. When he left the game he was the second best WR in history. Arguably, one of the best and most successful FA signings carried-out by the Vikes.
When we watched the Saints try to dislocate Adrian's ankle at the bottom of a pile in the opening game of 2009, AFTER the whistle, I was much more furious than hearing guys yell at each other pre-snap.
"I'll take your head off and make you remember this game forever! INSIDE the whistles."
this was our locker room crede in high school.
I love the way he played, I just think hes a fool as a person.
I'm not a Cris Carter hater AT ALL. But I do think it's because of off the field issues that he has yet to be voted into the hall. The production on the field speaks for it self. The only thing production lacks is a ring. but I still think it's off the field issues that keeps him off the hall.
- I doubt this comment will help him.. Hopefully he will enter the hall someday
Was CC's off the field issues as seroius as Irvin's (coke, hookers, domestic violence)? He just had another coke issue not too long ago and nobody cares, he's still on the network. Was CC ever arrested during playing with the Vikes? Or, his he just guilty of running his mouth? If so, his play backed it up, not like a BUNCH of other WRs. It's rings. CC put-up better #s on a worse team. W. Moon didn't hurt his career's change of direction though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzKdYIZg4zE
Cslinde,
Nice highlights, miss that guy... Him being outspoken at times probably hurts his chances.
But he is No Idiot !
Great memories! I agree Charlie, He has a big mouth, but no idiot.
http://www.carterbrotherscharities.com/News.asp?nid=7&SID=4
By the end of the 1993 season, Carter and his wife Melanie had two children, Duron and Monteray. The one-time outlaw of the college football world also became recognized for his good deeds. In September of 1994 Carter received the NFL Extra Effort Award for outstanding community service activities. In 1995 he was given Athletes in Action's Bart Starr Award for outstanding leadership and character on and off the field. He also received the Midwest Sports Channel Citizen Athlete Award. By the 1996 off-season, Carter had become an ordained minister. . In 1999, Cris was the recipient of the NFL’s highest honor bestowed upon players for their off the field contributions, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Doesn't appear to be an idiot.