Donovan McNabb With Boomer & Carton: NFL Bounty Scandal 'Blown Out Of Proportion'
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb says too much has been made of the NFL's bounty scandal, which dominated the sports pages just a year ago.
"You know, this whole bounty thing I think is being way blown out of proportion," McNabb told WFAN radio's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on Tuesday. "I think as a quarterback, everyone wants to knock your head off. So if that's what a bounty is, then I got that ever since Pop Warner. But I think we're putting too much into it."
The league levied harsh penalties after its "Bountygate" investigation into the New Orleans Saints' cash-for-hits program in 2012.
Donovan McNabb
(You can download the entire interview HERE.)
All player suspensions have since been vacated, and both Saints coach Sean Payton and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Tennessee Titans, were reinstated earlier this year.
"I've been hit in my lower body a lot, I've been hit on my head -- until the Tom Brady rule came out, where he gets every call. I didn't get a lot of calls at all," said McNabb, who ended his career with forgettable stints in Washington and Minnesota. "You know, the whole thing about it, it was football. I never looked at it that way, like (anyone) had a bounty out to try to knock me out of the game."
More from McNabb:
-- On quarterback bias: "When we refer to African-American quarterbacks, we refer to them as the athletic guys with strong arms and an ability to make plays, instead of being the quarterback being able to process what he sees."
-- Did he throw up during Super Bowl XXXIX?: "(That) was a lie. ... When you go through a game, you get tired. But I did not throw up in the game. I got slammed on my helmet a couple times. ... It's unfortunate that question has to come up all the time, and I give the same answer."
-- On 2005 criticism from Philly NAACP leader J. Whyatt Mondesire: "Yeah, he was an idiot. The whole thing about it is, when people try to take shots to try to make a name for themselves, they find out -- they make themselves look like an idiot."
-- On Jets QB Mark Sanchez: "I think this offense that Marty Mornhinweg will bring to the Jets will be better suited for Mark Sanchez. But the question goes out to his weapons. He has no help. When (Jeremy) Curley is your No. 1 receiver, that's a problem."
-- On Jets backup Tim Tebow: "Tim struggles with being a pocket passer, and he struggles with being a mobile quarterback. ... I don't understand why he's still on the roster if you're not gonna utilize him. I really don't understand that."
Do you take issue with McNabb's response to the NFL's bounty scandal? Sound off in the comments...
