SUPER BOWL XXVII : DAILY REPORT : Talley Denies Report of Fight in Nightspot

A report in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram on Wednesday, which quoted several unnamed Cowboys, said that Buffalo linebacker Darryl Talley was punched in the nose by Magic Johnson’s bodyguard Sunday night at Roxbury, a West Hollywood nightspot.

The incident reportedly took place after quarterback Jim Kelly and Talley directed pointed remarks at Johnson.

“I had some guys ask me about that today,” Talley told the NFL pool reporter after practice Wednesday. “I have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Both Johnson, and Johnson’s agent, Lon Rosen, however, said they had been advised that there was some physical contact between Talley and Johnson’s bodyguard.

Johnson said he met with Kelly, Talley and several other players from Buffalo and Dallas on Sunday night.

“There was no problem,” he told KMPC radio. “I had a good time and said goodby.”

He said his bodyguard, whom he would only identify as, “Anthony, an ex-football player,” returned to Roxbury after taking Johnson home.

“The whole thing was after I left,” Johnson said. “I heard there was some pushing and shoving. Anthony had talked to Bruce Smith and had told him, ‘Why don’t you quiet down Darryl?’

“That was about it. If my guy had hit Darryl, he wouldn’t be playing Sunday. There was no fight, believe me.”

Rosen said that after Johnson left, Anthony got in an argument with Talley, “and flipped him.

“He didn’t punch him. He could have. He’s a very strong man. But he didn’t, and that was the end of it. Ervin had nothing to do with it. He wasn’t even there.”

The Ft. Worth newspaper, however, said, “a number of witnesses confirmed how the fight ended: The bodyguard’s fist met Talley’s nose.”

There were also reports that Talley had suffered a cut and required stitches. However, Talley cut his mouth in a household accident last week while still in Buffalo, and at the time Coach Marv Levy made note of it to the media.

There appeared to be no new marks on Talley at this week’s press conferences, and he has practiced without missing any time.

“I know nothing about it,” Levy told the pool reporter after being advised of the newspaper’s report. “My story is the Super Bowl. I don’t have any comment, really, I can’t. I haven’t heard about it, I’m not concerned about it.”

Kelly was unavailable for comment, and a spokesman for Roxbury said that the owner, Brad Johnson, also had no comment.