Though he beat him anyway, Bill Parcells claims fellow Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh cheated when their teams met in the NLF playoffs in 1986.
In a new book set to be released next week, the former Giants coach claims that Walsh had the power cut to his own team’s headsets so, as per NFL rules, the opposing team would have to play without out using theirs as well.
Since the 49ers famously scripted their first 15 plays, not having the use of headsets was no big deal for San Francisco. And, though it ultimately didn’t prevent the Giants from winning, Parcells clearly was not a fan of the move.
When the teams met the following year in the playoffs once again, Parcells approached Walsh on the sidelines and told him so.
“Getting ready to play them again . . . in the playoffs, and I said to Bill [Walsh], ‘These phones go out again to start the game, I’m gonna expose you,’” Parcells explained in the documentary. “He looked at me with a little wink and says, ‘Just a little gamesmanship.’”
Gamesmanship or not, it obviously still sticks in Parcells’ craw three decades later – even though his Giants won both games.
Guts and Genius: The Story Of Three Unlikely Coaches Who Came To Dominate The NFL In The 1980s by Newsday columnist Bob Glauber is out November 20.
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