Skip Bayless has a history of getting under the skin of viewers and co-hosts alike. But he may have gone a bit too far in an exchange with Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter.
Carter explained in a recent podcast discussion that the disagreement years ago began over a debate regarding the NFL skills of former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow on the set of ESPN’s First Take.
“I didn’t know Skip personally, and I’m gonna be honest with you: Skip Bayless was not one of my favorite people,” Carter explained.
“So, I’m on there doing the show. I do the show and everything. And all of a sudden — this is when the Tebow phenomenon was going on, and he was a huge Tim Tebow guy,” he continued. “So I come on there on a Monday, and we’re trading barbs and everything. We go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.”
That’s when things got a little heated.
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Carter suggested the debate turned acrimonious when he told Bayless that if Tebow were to be measured on his ability “throwing the football” then “Tebow will never be a starting quarterback.”
“So, he got defensive and then he came back and said, ‘Well, that’s why you didn’t win a Super Bowl,’ which got nothing to do with nothing,” Carter added.
After that, the two went on a commercial break and the former Vikings receiver took his earpiece off and confronted Skip Bayless.
“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 […] face,” he relayed.
Carter then apparently stormed off the set, never to return.
“I won’t be on this show again as long as he’s on there,” he said.
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Bayless Responds, Says He Doesn’t Remember The Incident
Look, Skip Bayless ruffles feathers all the time. But this story doesn’t reflect well on Cris Carter.
He’s a Hall of Famer, had a storied career, and he’s going to let a Super Bowl jab get under his skin to a level where he’s going to punch Skip in the face?
Oh, and by the way, while Tebow didn’t exactly light up the league during his time there, he did become the Broncos’ starter during the 2011 season, revitalizing a losing team and bringing them to the franchise’s first division title and playoff victory since 2005.
In that playoff victory – he threw an absolute laser with an 80-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. Tebow finished with 316 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The last OT Wild Card game was 2011 Broncos-Steelers.
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 5, 2020
Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yd TD to win on the first play 😳 (via @nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/tTN0wR32g2
Skip Bayless issued a statement to the New York Post saying he doesn’t recall Carter ever threatening to punch him in the face.
“Cris and I sparred often on ‘First Take’ during the Tebow run in 2011 but I have zero memory of him telling me he was going to punch me in the face,” Bayless said.
Bayless, as reported previously, was ousted as the host of Undisputed after an eight-year run with Fox Sports 1.
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