With under two minutes remaining in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs were tied at 35.
Patrick Mahomes had just tossed an incomplete pass on third down, which would have led to a short field goal attempt and plenty of time for Jalen Hurts & Co. to storm back.
But then came the flag.
Officials called former New York Giants cornerback James Bradberry for defensive holding after he appeared to grab JuJu Smith-Schuster. The infraction led to an automatic first down and allowed Kansas City to run down the clock, winning the game on a late field goal.
The call itself sent social media into a frenzy. Many argued there was no hold while others believed it was too ticky-tack to call in that moment. But referee Carl Cheffers stood his ground.
“The receiver went to the inside and he was attempting to release to the outside,” Cheffers told a pool of reporters after the game. “The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called defensive holding.”
Cheffers felt the penalty was clear. And to his credit, Bradberry didn’t argue.
“I was hoping he would let it go, but of course he’s a ref, it was a big game,” Bradberry admitted following the loss. “It was a hold, so they called it.”
The 29-year-old Bradberry was released by the Giants in a cost-cutting measure last offseason. He chose to sign with the Eagles because they had a good defense and he believed they could win a Super Bowl. He likely never imagined that he’d be the one to commit a penalty potentially preventing that.
Bradberry is scheduled to become a free agent in March and has said he’s open to returning to New York.
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