Much was made about the final moments of Super Bowl 2023 in which James Bradberry was flagged for a controversial defensive holding penalty on JuJu Smith-Schuster that essentially allowed the Chiefs to ice the game in their 38-35 win over the Eagles.
However, while the call was highly controversial (especially at the time), NFL Films’ angle of the play appears to clearly show Bradberry tugging on the back of Smith-Schuster’s jersey.
Watch The Biggest Sports from the US with ESPN on Kayo. NBA, NHL, MLB & NFL. Live Coverage Every Week in Season. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
And yes, while there have been countless examples of contact like this being ruled incidental and officials allowing players to play on, by the letter of the law it certainly looked like a hold.
MORE COVERAGE
‘Oh man, f***’: Super Bowl brothers break down over ‘awesome’ moment
‘This mother****er is humbling’: Veteran admits he ‘didn’t do s***’ in Super Bowl triumph
Raiders finalise messy $58m divorce as QB set to trigger NFL free agency frenzy
Bradberry admitted that he held Smith-Schuster’s jersey after the game, saying he was “hoping [the officials] would let it slide.” He further elaborated on the play Tuesday.
“I feel like I only had two options, really: I could take responsibility for it, or I could blame it on someone else,” Bradberry told reporters.
“I try not to live that way. … It comes from my mom or coaches in the past I’ve had, taking accountability.”
The aftermath of the play led to some drama on social media Tuesday. Smith-Schuster, who has become a bit of a villain in NFL circles, posted a fake Valentine’s Day card with a picture of Bradberry, cheekily saying: “I’ll hold you when it matters most.”
Eagles players were predictably not thrilled, and wide receiver A.J. Brown fired back quickly. “First off congratulations. Y’all deserve it. This is lame. You was on the way out the league before Mahomes resurrected your career on your 1 year deal Tik-Tok boy. He admitted that he grabbed you but don’t act like your like that or ever was. But congratulations again!” Brown tweeted.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
