Michael Irvin Responds to Jerry Rice's Comments on All Players Using 'Stickum'

Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin fired back at San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice, dismissing Rice's claim that everyone used Stickum in his era to better catch the football.   

Irvin lit up the soundboards on Thursday in a WFAN radio interview, as transcribed by CBS New York (h/t ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio):

"

I love Jerry Rice, but that's what everybody says. 'Oh, everybody did it.' That's the oldest defense in the world. I didn't use Stickum. I never used Stickum, didn't need Stickum, didn't believe in Stickum. I wouldn't do it. Troy (Aikman) would go off on me if I put Stickum on his footballs. You see what I'm saying? Stop asking me this junk. I didn't feel like I should answer it. I have not answered one (tweet) on it.

"

Retired Minnesota Vikings superstar Cris Carter took a similar stance to Irvin's recently:

Stickum was banned by the NFL in 1981, as Rice mentioned in his controversial proclamation. Rice's own accomplishments may be called into question if it's revealed that many stars from his playing days didn't use Stickum, though.

Per Football-Reference.com, Rice holds just about every conceivable all-time record, including receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Rice was an astounding technician as a route-runner and played with two exceptional quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young for the majority of his career.

It's hard to imagine what Rice's numbers would have looked like if not for Stickum—or if the substance even had that much of an impact on Rice's legendary production.

The more dialogue that stems from the Stickum conversation, the sooner the NFL and its many fans can get to the bottom of the issue. Irvin's eruption on the radio waves is likely to spark the conversation.