Bucs HC Bruce Arians Says He Doesn't Regret Smacking Player During Wild Card Win
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has taken some heat regarding his actions on the sideline during Tampa Bay's 31-15 victory over the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Sunday.
In the video picked up on the FOX broadcast, Arians is seen smacking safety Andrew Adams across his helmet. Arians said after the game Adams was trying to pull an Eagles player off the pile after Jalen Reagor's muffed punt, which could have resulted in a penalty.
The 69-year-old addressed the situation further Monday and said he has no regrets about what happened.
"No, and I’ve seen enough dumb – you can’t pull guys out of a pile," Arians said. "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."
Arians' smack is reportedly "being handled" with by the NFL. At the time of the incident, FOX color commentator Troy Aikman said he didn't understand what Arians was upset about.
“Bruce Arians comes in. He’s pretty excited,” Aikman said. “He takes a whack at Adams... Not exactly sure what that’s about.”
The incident caught the eye of Sean Burstyn, former Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown's agent.
"Physical punishment is not acceptable in schools, the military, or prisons. Why’s it acceptable here?" Burstyn wrote. "That coach wasn’t preventing a player from drawing a penalty. He was hitting him after the fact. Players are people, not property. Treat them with dignity and respect."
Brown is notably wrapped up in a feud of sorts with Arians, over his release from the Buccaneers earlier this month. Both Burstyn and Brown allege that Arians forced Brown to play on an injured ankle that required surgery.
Brown quote tweeted the video on Twitter with the caption, "Pit not the palace," the title of a rap song that he released after his exit from Tampa Bay.
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.