When it comes to big games, and especially Super Bowls, you want the game to be decided by the players and their incredible skill and athleticism, rather than being overshadowed by something controversial or a bad call by the officials.
Sadly though, that wasn’t quite the case during this year’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the victorious Kansas City Chiefs, as whilst the game was a very interesting and exciting spectacle from start to finish, there was a moment near the end that caused a lot of controversy in the immediate aftermath.
With the Chiefs looking to both wind the clock down and then get a late score, they were granted a major boost when James Bradberry was found guilty of holding back receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, giving the Chiefs not only the yards on the play, but also a crucial first down.
Bradberry did admit after the game that the referees made the right call, but now he’s opened up even further about the incident and what he could have done differently about it.
James Bradberry left with a major regret
Speaking on the ‘Big Play Slay’ podcast with fellow Eagles defender Darius Slay, Bradberry admitted that in hindsight he should have just let Smith-Schuster run free on the route and score, or at the very least change the way he interacted on the play to make it look like more of a fair fight.
James Bradberry taking the higher ground through it all
You have to commend Bradberry with how he is handling all of this, it would be very easy for him to come out and maintain that he was innocent and that the referees made the wrong call and ‘blew the game’, much how the New Orleans Saints fans protested after their missed call in the 2019 NFC Championship game.
Whether it sets a precedent for other players around the league to take accountability for their mistakes and errors during the game, we’ll have to wait and see, but it certainly is refreshing to see, especially as he’s also using this incident as a learning lesson for him in how to play better and smarter in the future.
