The rivalry between the Eagles and Cowboys is long and storied. The bad blood between the two franchises is real. A hidden chapter was dusted off and discovered on Sunday prior to the late kickoff between the two team’s at the Linc.
Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner began a segment of Pregame Live by confirming what was always rumored but also adding some wild new information.
The Bounty Bowl was real and it was more lucrative than previously thought.
“I will not deny today,” Joyner said on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Pregame Live, and you can see the video above. “I will confirm that there was a bounty on Luis Zendejas and it wasn’t $200, it was for $10,000!”
Joyner is of course referring to former head coach Buddy Ryan who was an infamous figure in Philadelphia and around the NFL. The Bounty Bowl took place in the 1989 season and centered around Zendejas, a kicker that played for the Eagles at one point but ended up on the Cowboys later in the season.
The story goes that Ryan offered cash “bounties” to his Eagles players for hard hits on Cowboys players.
For his part, Buddy denied the bounties.
NFL
“Why would I place a bounty on a kicker who can’t kick worth a damn?” Ryan said.
The 2019 season marks 30 years since the ugly incident. A lot has changed in the sporting world over that time. Player safety has come to the forefront of the league and steps to remove big hits from the game have been taken.
The Bounty Bowl is a big contributor to the lore of “the way the game used to be,” for better or worse. Some fans still look on the ugly incident fondly, while others see it as barbaric.
Joyner’s revelation is yet another in the bitter rivalry between the two franchises.
“Buddy hated Dallas before he even came to Philadelphia,” Joyner said. “He was the perfect coach to run this team. It was heightened, because he was pissed off that they self-proclaimed themselves 'America’s team.’”