Being the head coach of an NFL team opens you up to a lot of attention. When you’re coaching the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the attention is magnified.
When a star receiver leaves the field in demonstrative ways and then accuses you of pretty much every transgression under the sun outside of physically assaulting him, when you contact a player in an aggressive manner, it draws a crowd.
And that’s what Bucs head coach Bruce Arians did Sunday in the midst of his team’s 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Bruce Arians is NOT happy pic.twitter.com/H5Goxcee7S
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2022
The action received many different reactions on social media.
Some wanted him fired on the spot. Some said the act only proved everything Antonio Brown claimed was true. Others said it wasn’t a big deal, and this is just how football is.
Whatever the reaction, it spread pretty quickly, as things tend to do these days.
So Arians was asked about it on Monday.
“No, I’ve seen enough dumb [things],” Arians said when asked about his actions and whether or not he had any regrets from them. “You can’t pull guys out of a pile. We just got a big play, great field position, and he’s trying to pull a guy out of a pile and I was trying to knock him off of that guy so he didn’t get a penalty.”
The act came after Eagles punt returner Jalen Reagor muffed a punt, which was subsequently recovered by Bucs defensive back Ross Cockrell.
At the time, Tampa Bay held a 17-0 lead over Philly, and would score again five plays later when quarterback Tom Brady hit tight end Rob Gronkowski wide open in the end zone.
A 15-yard penalty would obviously make the task of scoring a bit harder for the offense, which is what sparked Arians to prevent his young safety from making any further contact with opposing players.
For what it's worth, the NFL and NFLPA are both staying silent on the issue for now, with a source saying the situation was, “being handled”, according to NBC Sports.
The question for you, Bucs Nation: Did Arians cross a line?
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Poll
Did Bruce Arians Go Too Far on Sunday with Andrew Adams?
This poll is closed
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6%
Without A Doubt
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7%
Yes
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34%
If Andrew Adams Doesn’t Care, Neither Do I
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18%
No
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31%
Not at All
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