AzorAhai
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Taken directly from Nick Eatmans book If These Walls Could Talk
The bad blood all started on an interception in practice by linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who finished off his nice play by weaving through the offense for a would-be touchdown during the team drills. Just as it appeared Carpenter had gotten past the last player and was en route to score, Ratliff blindsided Colombo with all of his force, ear-holing the massive offensive tackle off his feet and to the ground.
Colombo got up and immediately attacked Ratliff, throwing a series of haymakers that landed all over the place--some on Ratiff's helmet, some inside his facemask, some around the neck area. It was a wild scene that eventually was broken up by several players. Four-letter bombs were dropped left and right as it took a few minutes to restore order.
But the calm was only momentary. On the next play, Ratliff and Colombo managed to lock up again, and this time Ratliff ended the pushing and shoving with a vicious head slap to Colombo's head. The thud of the slap seemed to echo through the empty seats inside the Alamodome. Everyone assumed Round 2 was about to get just as nasty.
Instead, Colombo stopped. He shook his head and smiled at Ratliff, seemingly more interested in squashing this battle and getting back to practice. An for everyone in attendance, including the media on the sidelines and probably most of the coaches, that's how it appeared to end. Little did anyone know that the battle was about to get a whole lot uglier.
Ratliff was fuming for the rest of practice and, as he walked off the field and into the tunnel. He still had bad intentions on his mind. And though he turned down the hallway seemingly into the locker room, Ratliff never went fully into the room with his teammates. He waited behind a wall, with his helmet off and cocked in his right hand, preparing to swing it at Colombo, who was a few steps behind him.
Colombo, meanwhile, thought the fight had been left on the field, but as he turned the corner to go into the locker room, he saw Ratliff just in time to sidestep a swinging helmet. Had it connected with Colombo's head, one bystander suggested "it might have killed him."
Fortunately, it didn't, but obviously that set off a Round 3 of fireworks that proved to be one of the ugliest, nastiest fights the Cowboys have ever seen, on or off the field. There was simply no stopping this Ratliff-Colombo hurricane. Some players tried, but it was no use, at least not in the early going. They traded punches to the face They used elbows, knees, feet--anything to gain an edge. Players who tried to get in were shoved aside or simply bounced off this epic donnybrook, which lasted at least four minutes. Just about every player in the room, one that housed more than 90 lockers, had a chance to stop it or get out of the way. In this case the latter decision seemed the wiser choice.
Remember, all of this occurred after a physical two-hour practice that had already include a pair of fights. Finally, the two were separated, though it took about 10 players to settle the scene. Both Ratliff and Colombo were bleeding, and blood was spotted from one side of the locker room to the other.
While the on-field fight was the talk of the day and being reported both on TV and in print, the real story took place afterward in the locker room. However, that street-fight-like brawl never was revealed in the media. Therefore, the situation easily diffused, and since the two players never scrapped with each other again on the field, the one-day confrontation was basically swept under the rug.
In the end, it was a three-round battle that most observers unofficially ruled a draw-albeit agreeing it was officially scary. As for that media debate, the right answer was still unclear, but at least they knew they had picked the right two finalists.
I would seriously recommend this book to anyone that hasn't read it. It's worth it.
