Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was fined $50K after striking safety Andrew Adams during the Bucs’ win over the Eagles on Sunday. Arians got heated and hit Adams’ helmet after a play, and multiple replays showcased the footage of the aftermath. “I’ll appeal it,” Arians said on Wednesday. “It ain’t got nothing to do with the game, so we’re good.” Arians claimed he was attempting to prevent Adams from committing a penalty after the muffed punt. Arians has remained in the spotlight after his decision to release WR Antonio Brown made headlines following his fiasco in the late season matchup against the New York Jets.
It’s clear that Arians has been dealing with his fair share of insubordination within the franchise, and he’s taking measures into his own hands to maintain control over his team. From my personal perspective, a coach needs to do what a coach needs to do. This type of scrutiny reminds me of the altercation between Michigan State Basketball HC Tom Izzo and small forward Aaron Henry during a March Madness game against Bradley in 2019.
Granted the situation was slightly different, but the fact of the matter is coaches deserve to discipline their players within reason, and they shouldn’t be scrutinized for their coaching tactics. Every coach coaches differently, and yes there are right and wrong ways to handle certain situations, but in this specific situation, Bruce Arians should not have been fined. $50K is more or less a slap on the wrist for NFL Head Coaches, especially Super Bowl caliber coaches like Bruce Arians, but it’s about the principal of the issue that ruffles feathers in this case. The Bucs will have to regroup before they host the Rams this weekend in the NFC divisional round.
Comments