A little trip down memory lane hurts nobody. And this one never would. Now, when you think about it, you realize that football then was less polished and media-saturated. Remember October 5, 1986? Reagan was in the White House, and Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer was about to take over the airwaves soon. And at the Meadowlands, things were heating up during a New York Jets–Bills game. On one side, you had Jets’ tough DL Marty Lyons, and on the other, Bills QB Jim Kelly. And things between the two got personal in a way that’s still talked about almost 38 years later.

Marty giving Jim Kelly ‘the business‘ will forever remain one of the greatest fight and referee mic moments in history. And fast forward to 2025, the man at the center of it finally shared his side of the story. On Tuesday, NFL Players: Second Acts dropped a podcast episode featuring none other than Marty Lyons. During the chat, former safety and host Roman Harper tossed in a nostalgic question, “You were once penalized for giving the quarterback the business.” A clip from the infamous 1986 Jets-Bills game rolled on screen as Lyons jumped in.

“Right before halftime, he rolled out, threw the ball, I hit him,” he began, walking through the moment.

As the game footage played on, Lyons revealed what lit the fuse that day. “I’m lying on top of him, he says some ugly things to me about being on top of him… and then I just started pounding him.” But that wasn’t all Lyons had to get off his chest. He went on to explain, “And if you go back and look at it, I’m bleeding. I think it was from this side.”

Turns out, the incident wasn’t just about heated words. It had some literal sting to it. Lyons revealed that Jim Kelly had a habit of leaving one fingernail slightly longer so he could get extra spin on the football. “Well, he came through my facemask and kind of cut me… and I just hit him a few times,” the 68-year-old added.

Well, it wasn’t just frustration boiling over. It was blood, banter, and a bit of Buffalo’s QB craftiness that made Lyons snap. After nearly four decades, we finally get the unscripted, slightly bruised version of what went down that day.

The brawl: Marty Lyons vs. Jim Kelly

Nearly four decades later, the Lyons vs. Kelly’s heated moment remains one of the NFL’s most talked-about fights. On that crisp autumn day at the Meadowlands, tensions were already high between the Jets and the Bills. But it was a particular play late in the second quarter that would etch this game into NFL lore. Here’s what happened: Bills QB Jim Kelly attempted a pass, and Lyons closed in. After the ball was released, and as Lyons mentioned in the podcast, he delivered a series of punches to Kelly while he was still on the ground.

All this happened in that intense moment, catching everyone off guard. It was then that another iconic moment occurred. The referees, led by Ben Dreith, swiftly threw a flag for unnecessary roughness. And Dreith, unaware that his mic was still on, said, “Personal foul, number 99 of the defense… after he tackled the quarterback, he’s giving him the business down there.” Dreith directed it at the wrong player, as Lyons’ jersey number was 93. But nothing could have stopped the moment from becoming legendary.

As Lyons and Kelly were in the brawl, their teammates jumped in to stop the two. You could say they were successful in doing so, as the fight did not escalate much in intensity. Boy, oh boy, it still goes down as one of the most intense moments in NFL history. Dreith’s “giving him the business” call? Well, there would never be anything more iconic than this.

So, that was a little trip down memory lane. Who knew a punch in the Meadowlands would create a moment so legendary it still gets talked about nearly 40 years later? And with Marty finally shedding light on why it all went down, it just adds even more fuel to the fire of that unforgettable rivalry. What’s your take on it all?