When you think of Rod Woodson, you think of a Hall of Famer, an 11-time Pro Bowler, and one of the most respected players of his era. What probably doesn't come to mind is the time, in 1993, when he was so angry that teammates had to step in and hold him back.

“You know who Rod Woodson is, of course — the Hall of Famer," said former Bengals wide receiver Milt Stegall during a conversation on the Ozoon Canada podcast on June 21. "And there was another rookie, Carl Pickens, who came in with me, and he said something about Rod's wife. He wanted to destroy him."

Stegall added that he has no idea what Carl Pickens said to him, but it was enough to make Rod so angry that his teammates had to physically hold him back.

"It wasn't one of those hold-me-back situations where it's like, 'You better not let me go.' They actually had to hold him back because he was trying to get at Carl,” recalled Stegall.

The incident Stegall was referring to happened in 1993 during a game between the Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens made comments about Woodson’s marriage, which left him angry and disappointed.

According to the Los Angeles Times, tempers flared after the Steelers defeated the Bengals 24-16. Following a heated altercation with Bengals coach David Shula, Woodson turned his attention to Pickens.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, back in 1993, some witnesses claimed that the Hall of Famer even took a few swings at Pickens as the teams headed back to the locker rooms. That said, apart from this minor back-and-forth, Woodson's career was legendary.

Rod Woodson’s career was golden

The former Steelers star ranks third all-time with 71 interceptions, while his 1,483 return yards off those picks remain an NFL record. That’s not all, as his 12 interceptions for touchdowns are a league record that still stands to date.

Across 17 seasons, Woodson had 4,894 kickoff return yards, 2,362 punt return yards, and five return touchdowns. His 11 Pro Bowls are a defensive back record, and he was the first player in the history of the league to be voted to the game in these three ways: as a cornerback, a safety, and a kick returner.

He was a member of the NFL’s 75th anniversary team in 1994 alongside Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Reggie White, and Ronnie Lott and was also honored as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year back in 1993.

Woodson played for the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Oakland Raiders during his career, and he was such a legendary player that Dan Rooney later admitted he regretted that Woodson didn't finish his career with the Steelers.

"When Franco Harris went to Seattle, that was the most difficult," he told The New York Times in 1997. "But this thing with Rod is right up there. I really wish he were finishing his career with us for a lot of reasons. It hurts."

After a Hall of Fame-caliber career, Woodson said goodbye to the NFL as a player in 2004. However, he remained involved in the game as a coach. His last coaching stint was with the Vegas Vipers.

What do you think of the incident that took place between Woodson and Pickens? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Cleveland Browns Community.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar