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Hicks denies saying Vikings had bounty program

Former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Artis Hicks denied telling an author that the Vikings ran a bounty program involving coaches in 2008-2009.

"I never told him any specifics. I never named names," Hicks told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Sunday night, adding that no coach was ever involved in conversations about injuring players in his 11-year career spent with five different teams.

Hicks' original quotes were published by author Jeff Pearlman in a new book about Brett Favre titled, "Gunslinger." In the book, Hicks was quoted as saying that coaches would "start a pot and all the veterans put in an extra $100, $200, and if you hurt someone special, you get the money.