DALLAS -- CBS analyst Phil Simms admitted Saturday to getting in a "heated" conversation with ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard at the NFL Experience exhibit in Dallas.

Howard, who said on his Twitter account that he was taking part in an appearance with fans, was confronted by Simms over Howard's comments about Simms' son, Matt, who is a quarterback at the University of Tennessee.

Prior to Tennessee's game against LSU on Oct. 2, Howard said on ESPN that "you will see three of the worst quarterbacks in the SEC in the game," a list that included Matt Simms.

On Saturday, Phil Simms confronted Howard about the comments.

"Desmond and I were having a private conversation that became heated," Simms said in a statement released by CBS. "But at no time was there ever a chance of any physical confrontation, or that I felt the police officer assigned to me by the event planners for my appearance needed to separate the two of us."

Howard, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXI with the Green Bay Packers, said on his Twitter account that Simms threatened to throw a punch.

At NFL-Xperience and Phil Simms just threatened 2 hit me b/c I said his son was 1 of the worse QBs in the SEC. I told him "LET'S GO!" I am DEAD serious about the Phil Simms thing. We all thought he was joking, but he kept going and said he wanted 2 take a swing at me!! It ended w/police stepping in between so I could continue my appearance w/fans.

Later Saturday, Howard issued a statement of his own through ESPN.

"I was at a public signing for a sponsor when Phil approached me to express anger over on-air analysis I made months ago about his son, Tennessee QB Matt Simms. During the conversation, Phil made a reference to hitting me and security and sponsor representatives soon stepped in. It was an unfortunate incident and I'm moving on."

Matt Simms just finished his junior season at Tennessee. He lost the starting quarterback job to freshman Tyler Bray, but threw for 1,460 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions on the season.