Eagles’ James Bradberry: Referee made correct call at end of Super Bowl

PHOENIX, Feb. 13 (UPI) — Cornerback James Bradberry, who was assessed a controversial holding penalty late in the Super Bowl on Sunday, said officials made the correct call.

Bradberry told reporters about the sequence after the game in at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The penalty occurred with about 1:54 remaining in the 38-35 Eagles’ loss.

The penalty, which occurred on third down, gave the Chiefs a first down. It also allowed Kansas City to use almost all of the time on the clock leading to Harrison Butker’s game-field goal.

“I pulled his jersey,” Bradberry said. “They called holding. I was hoping they would let it ride, but it was holding. “I was hoping he would let it go, but he is a referee and this is a big game. It was a hold, so they called it.”

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 2-yard touchdown and converted a two-point conversion with about 5:20 remaining to tie the score. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes then drove Kansas City to the Eagles’ 15-yard line.

The Chiefs then faced a third-and-8. Mahomes stepped back and launched a pass toward the left side of the field where Bradberry was guarding Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The cornerback used his left hand to grab onto Smith-Schuster’s left hip, which hindered his ability to get outside. The Mahomes pass then sailed over both players and went into the end zone.

The Eagles were assessed a 5-yard penalty and the Chiefs were given an automatic first down for the infraction. The Chiefs then took the next 1:43 off the clock. Butker made his 27-yard, go-ahead field goal with 8 seconds remaining.

The decision to call penalty drew criticism from announcers and on social media.

“It’s not my job to make the call,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters. “Those guys gotta do that in split-second scenarios. That’s what he saw and he called it.

“I know it always appears to be one call that makes it, but that’s not what it is. There are so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game. They were better than we were.”

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