Former Vikings guard Artis Hicks clarifies comments on bounties

Amidst allegations of operating a bounty system, the Minnesota Vikings finally got some clarification in regards to a story from former guard Artis Hicks.

Not too long ago, Deadspin did a piece on a passage from the book “Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre” where former Minnesota Vikings guard discussed the concept of paying for taking an opposing player out of a football game.

Of course, this news shot right through the Vikings fan base. With many fans still upset about the bounty system that the New Orleans Saints had in place back in the days when Brett Favre was with Minnesota, allegations hit far too close to home.

However, The former Minnesota Vikings guard recently spoke to the Star Tribune about his statements in the book and clarified some things. Here is what he had to say:

The problem with this situation is that the players involved would only have come from the same side of the ball and the ‘unit’ he was a part of. Still, the next part of the statement is a far cry from what is said in the book.

In the passage of the book, it is a cash prize that is offered, so this might be a bit of backtracking, but it also could be sensationalistic storytelling in hopes of selling more books or getting attention to an individual.

No matter what the truth is in this situation, the fact that it has to be discussed is a black eye on the team. With no other players or coaches coming forward to corroborate the story, this is one piece that should be brushed off. However, there will always be that little voice wondering how much truth there is to any part of this story.