The National Football League levied out a fine this week you don’t hear everyday. On Wednesday, according to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was fined $50,000 for slapping the helmet of Buccaneers safety Andrew Adams in the Buccaneers’ 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in one of three NFC Wildcard games on the weekend. Yes folks, Arians smacked his own player.
Arians was reportedly concerned that Adams was going to pull Eagles players off a large pile, as Eagles wide receiver Jalen Reagor muffed a punt. If Adams had pulled Eagles players away from the football, then Adams could have been given a penalty. One could make the argument that it was surprising that Arians was not called for a penalty either. The bottom line is that coaches cannot just come on to the field and break up incidents when they see fit.
This is the second high profile incident Arians has had with his own player this season. On January 2, in the Buccaneers’ 28-24 win over the New York Jets, Arians sent troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown to the locker room during the game, when Brown did not go on to the field in the Buccaneers lineup as requested. Brown subsequently took off his jersey and was seen leaving the game while the game was actually going on. The Buccaneers subsequently released Brown immediately after the game. Brown meanwhile stated afterwards he was suffering from an ankle injury.
Adams is in his sixth season in the NFL. He spent two seasons with the New York Giants before four years with the Buccaneers. This season he has 24 combined tackles, four pass deflections, one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, and one interception for 17 yards. The Buccaneers will next host the Los Angeles Rams in one of two NFC Divisional Playoff games this weekend.
