Sports pundit Skip Bayless is known for rubbing many people the wrong way, and that certainly seems to be the effect he had on all-time NFL great Cris Carter.
Carter recently looked back at an explosive interaction he had with Bayless that resulted in the former Minnesota Vikings star receiver threatening Bayless with violence.
#Vikings HOF WR Cris Carter almost punched Skip Bayless in the face after he disrespected him on air 😳
“I will never be on his show again. And if he ever disrespects me again, I’ll punch him right in the f*cking face.”
(Fullyloadedthepodcast, @criscarter80) pic.twitter.com/dE9h7v7SpX
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 8, 2024
“I’m gonna be honest with you, Skip Bayless is not one of my favorite people,” he began. “I’m on there doing the show. I do the show and everything. And then all of a sudden, this is when the [Tim] Tebow phenomenon was going on, and he was a huge Tim Tebow guy.
“So, I come on there on a Monday, and you know, we’re trading barbs and everything. We go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and then I just level said it and was like, ‘Listen, if throwing the football is important in the NFL, Tim Tebow will never be a starting quarterback in the NFL.'”
Carter then recounted how Bayless got defensive and decided to make the debate personal.
“He came back and said, ‘Well that’s why you didn’t win the Super Bowl,'” Carter remembered.
The show then went to commercial, and that’s when Carter let Bayless have it.
“I took my earpiece out, and I told him, ‘I’ll never be on your show again, and if you ever say anything like that to me again, I’ll punch you right in the f—— face,” Carter concluded.
On one hand, it’s hard to respect Bayless’ decision to make a neutral conversation so personal just because he seemingly felt his point of view was being questioned. On the other hand, some fans may find it hard not to be somewhat impressed by Bayless’ willingness to agitate the much bigger and stronger Carter during a debate.
While Carter never won a Super Bowl during his career, he accomplished many other things. He was named to the Pro Bowl eight times and was named an All-Pro twice. Carter and the Vikings nearly advanced to the Super Bowl in 1998 in a heartbreaking classic versus the Atlanta Falcons.
In that game, the Vikings entered the second half leading 20-14. However, the Falcons outscored the Vikings in the second half 13-7 to force overtime. The Falcons nailed a field goal in overtime to win the game.
Carter was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
As for Bayless, he continues to enjoy a fantastic career in the entertainment industry, thanks in large part to his ability to agitate athletes and fans alike.
