MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Cris Carter made the remarks on ESPN radio, saying bounty hunting was part of the game when he was playing in the league.

“I’m guilty of it,” Carter said. “I put bounties on guys. (If) a guy tried to take a cheap shot on me, I put on bounty on him right now.”

Carter said it was common practice back then to protect players from those who wanted to hurt them.

Carter claims former All-Pro linebacker Bill Romanowski threatened him before pregame warmups years ago.

“I’m going to end your career, Carter,” Carter recounted and said he then put “a little change” on Romanowski’s head before the game.

WCCO Sports Reporter Mike Max said it doesn’t surprise him.

“I hate to separate the two eras, but I always thought in Cris Carter’s era, it was a little bit looser,” Max said. “If someone protected him, he might throw him something.”

After the bounty scandal in the New Orleans Saints program, Max said the game will be changed forever and that the NFL will crack down hard on those who take part in the practice.

“If there’s a whisper, it will get investigated, because the NFL has to clean it up,” Max said. “Their biggest enemy right now is the concussion.”

Max said people are scared of the long-term effects of concussions, and that goes hand-in-hand with the bounty program.