Chris Carter Admits Buddy Ryan Era Eagles Used Bounties

The reaction to the current Saints bounty scandal is a clear sign of the times and proof of how the NFL has changed over the last 25 years. Back in the day of Buddy Ryan, this type of stuff not only wasn't met with the same kind of outrage, it was kind of celebrated. Sure, Cowboys fans hated Buddy for it, but history still looks at Buddy favorably. That probably won't be the case with the likes of Gregg Williams or Sean Payton.

That said, while pretty much every assumed the Eagles were putting bounties on guys, Buddy always gave a wink-nod denial that it was the case. Yesterday though, Chris Carter straight up admitted it. He said that not only did he put bounties on guys himself, but the Eagles did it as well.

Carter claimed he wasn't the only one to use bounties during his time in the NFL. Carter was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for the 1989 Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys -- the so-called "Bounty Bowl" -- in which Eagles coach Buddy Ryan allegedly put bounties on Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas. The league subsequently investigated that game but couldn't find proof bounties were used, though Carter said Tuesday he personally witnessed them that day.

"I saw guys getting wiped out, guys going for the money," Carter said.

Carter said he would put bounties on guys that came after him or took cheap shots. He says it wasn't meant to hurt the guys, rather just to make sure the teams' guards protected him. As Carter tells it, bounties were a form a protection.

"That's the league that I grew up in," he said.