Cris Carter admits to bounties

[ThomasTomasz]

Former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro receiver Cris Carter says he put "bounties" on opposing players as a form of protection during his 16-year NFL career.

Carter, currently an ESPN NFL analyst, said on "Hill and Schlereth" on ESPN Radio on Tuesday night that he would offer money to teammates to take out players Carter thought were trying to take him out.

"I'm guilty of (bounties) -- I mean first time I've ever admitted it -- but I put a bounty on guys before," Carter told the show. "I put bounties on guys. If a guy tries to take me out, a guy takes a cheap shot on me? I put a bounty on him right now!"

When asked if the bounties were financial, Carter said: "Absolutely."

Carter, a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for the last five years, said it was a matter of protecting himself from players at a different position, such as linebacker.

"I'd tell one of them guards, 'Hey man this dude is after me, man' " Carter said.

The 46-year-old told of former Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Romanowski, then with the Denver Broncos, threatening to hurt him in pregame warmups.

"Bill Romanowski -- he told me he was going to take me out before the game, warmups. No problem. (He said,) '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."

When asked if he was the only one doing that, Carter responded: "Hell, no.

"Listen, on the football field you only got certain protection and your teammates are part of that protection. It's built in and if I'm playing a certain position where I can't protect myself -- how can the quarterback protect himself? But for his teammates to stand up and do something," Carter said. "There are certain positions you can't protect yourself.

"The center? How can he protect himself? He's snapping the ball every time. Like if someone is taking a cheap shot on him? No problem. We've got a way to work that out."

Carter's comments come one day after New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and three others appealed league-mandated suspensions for their alleged roles in that team's three-year bounty program.

An NFL investigation determined the Saints ran a bounty system from 2009 to 2011 that offered thousands of dollars to players for big hits that knocked opponents out of games. In March, Goodell suspended Saints head coach Sean Payton for all of next season without pay, suspended former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely and levied other penalties against the club.

But Carter told "Hill and Schlereth" that during his playing days bounties weren't meant to purposefully injure other players.

" ... But you have to realize the league we grew up in, the bounty was based on protection, or a big hit, excitement or for helping your team win. It wasn't to maim or hurt the dude," said Carter, who retired from the NFL following the 2002 season. "When a guy said he was going to hurt me, my recourse was to put a bounty on him to make sure."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...merly-minnesota-vikings-admits-using-bounties

Discuss:kanye:

 

[Derrville]

Suspend him from the hall Goodell!!

 

[Bomberooski]

I hope ESPN doesn't fire him over this.

 

[st lickem]

wow you mean other players and teams used bounties other then the dastardly saints? I don't believe it!

 

[dave]

Bill Romanowski? No way.

 

[Juggernaut]

Totally different scenarios imo. Carter was placing reactionary bounties, he was placing them on players who targeted him either directly like Romanowski (not surprised he's the one mentioned) or just through cheap shots. I'd be willing to bet that Carter would deny placing bounties on other players just because they were good and made clean legal tackles.

Am I surprised a wide receiver made the bounty? Hell no. How's a wide reciever supposed to send a message to the other team? Making catches and scoring td's isn't enough when they're coming after you physically, you have to find some way to get them back physically. Most physical wide receiver I've ever seen was Hines Ward, and he cracked plenty of people, but that won't work for every receiver.

It's clear to see how this might have elevated from a friendly teammate thing to do to a bounty system. Your teammate, without asking, helps you out with one player whose been giving you trouble. So you give him some cash as thanks for making your life a little easier. Natural progression to the point where you state how you want to be helped.

 

[NAHSTE]

Carter is a fucking moron, so if he believes in the practice then it is just further evidence that it should be frowned upon.

 

[ralaw]

I really wouldn't classify what Carter was doing a "bounty". These sorts of things happen in most sports when you have to protect your teammates and it is expected. I'm not sure of what type of country club sports some people played in, but this was common behavior in sports that I played in...from streetball to organized sports. If someone tells you they're going to take you out you have to protect yourself and make sure your teammates are aware of the threat, so that they can help in protecting you. I don't see any issue with this. IMO people are using this "bounty" thing too far and using the term too loosely. A bounty is what Gregg Williams was going....putting money on the table to injure simply to take a team's best player out....that is dirty. Protecting yourself or your teammates is something entirely different.

 

[Senser81]

Carter is such a fucking tool that he doesn't even understand what he's talking about. Par for the course. Carter's definition of "bounty" is like KNUBB's definition of "pay for performance".

 

[jaxjaggywires]

Suspend him from the hall Goodell!!

Seems like they already have...

 

[RosettaStoned]

Hey FirstTimer, bet Hines gets in first now faggot!

:ee:

 

[FirstTimer]

What's hilarious is Cris Carter is also the one touting how he doesn't have CTE or never had concussions in his playing day. Now perhaps we know why.

Also more Cris Carter retardation from yesterday, ESPN ran a story on CTE and a panelist asked Carter if he is worried about his son playing football, Carter danced around the answer then launched into a diatribe about how players are paid to play, if you play in the NFL you're one of the best athletes on the planet, it's called PROFESSIONAL football, and what about all the kids that get school for free because of football.

:joeybats:

mg:

What in the hell are you talking about Cris?

 

[RosettaStoned]

Lmao.. I was watching that as I had just gotten my directv hooked up... Me and the installer were bert staring each other after that lol..

 

[FirstTimer]

Lmao.. I was watching that as I had just gotten my directv hooked up... Me and the installer were bert staring each other after that lol..

Should have let me know, we could have gotten money off our bill.

:lesmug:

 

[RosettaStoned]

Should have let me know, we could have gotten money off our bill.

:lesmug:

Still can, txt me the info. That's why I haven't updated my tracker, been moving.

 

[FirstTimer]

Still can, txt me the info. That's why I haven't updated my tracker, been moving.

Will do.

 

[FirstTimer]

Sent...and holy fuck I just realized I texted you Saturday night while hammered.

Jesus Christ.

 

[dope]

Sent...and holy fuck I just realized I texted you Saturday night while hammered.

Jesus Christ.

was it "when you gonna let me tap that?"

 

[RosettaStoned]

Sent...and holy fuck I just realized I texted you Saturday night while hammered.

Jesus Christ.

Lmao.. I thought it was some chick. I didn't save your number, so figured I was getting booty called by some ex or something.

 

[JOHNNYTHECLOWN]

FT and Rosetta, gay together?

No way, would have never guessed.

Back on topic though - how do you define when one of these 'bounties' has been successfully completed? Is it just one blind hit/cheap shot? Or you gotta take 'em out of the game?