Reggie White, 'Smash for Cash,' and Bountygate
ProFootballTalk.com released a report October 18 revealing a program run by former Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White that allegedly offered money for big hits. The article by Michael David Smith cites two earlier reports, a 1996 article by the New York Daily News and an Associated Press story from the same year.
Both stories say White contributed up to $500 for "big hits," including money White paid himself for a hit on Steve Young. According to the AP story, White told reporters "I gave them money for big hits," but that quote is seemingly contradicted by White's own words in a different account of the situation.
In his 1996 autobiography "In the Trenches," White discusses the 49ers/Packers playoff game in question, including the smash for cash program. On page six of the book, White details dividing his paycheck among fellow defensive players.