Report: Bruce Arians fined $50,000 for slapping Andrew Adams' helmet during game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was fined $50,000 for slapping the helmet of his own player during the Bucs' 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in an NFC wild-card game, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The slap happened in the third quarter of the game. Eagles punt returner Jalen Reagor muffed the punt (not the only time he'd do that during the game), which resulted in a loose ball. And when there's a loose ball, an enormous pile of football players isn't far behind. A scrum ensued as everyone tried to grab the ball, and safety Andrew Adams, who wasn't in the pile, started pulling Eagles players off the mound of bodies.
That's when Arians came in and slapped Adams' helmet.
Bruce Arians is NOT happy 😳pic.twitter.com/H5Goxcee7S
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2022
While we knew what we were seeing in the lead-up to the slap, we didn't know why Arians had actually done it. He briefly cleared it up after the game, telling the media that he was trying to stop Adams from getting a penalty.
I asked Bruce Arians why he briefly swiped his hand at Andrew Adams’ helmet after the Eagles’ muffed punt. Adams was trying to pull Eagles players off the pile, which could be a penalty. “Yeah, that was it,” Arians said.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 16, 2022
With this slap reportedly costing him $50,000, Arians might want to consider a less violent (and less expensive) way to get a player's attention during intense moments. A tap on the arm or shoulder could work, but if he wants something more emphatic, maybe he should invest in some Nerf darts.