Former NFL star Richard Sherman ripped the officiating in the final minutes of Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was called for defensive holding on JuJu Smith-Schuster on third down with about 1:54 left to play in the game. The crucial call moved the Chiefs closer to the end zone and allowed them three new downs to kill the clock and set up the go-ahead field goal.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, #87, runs with the ball against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, #24, during the first quarter of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Feb. 12, 2023. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
The Chiefs won the game 38-35, but the pivotal call quickly became a talking point. Sherman, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, blasted the referees.
“If the call’s debatable, you do not call it,” Sherman said on The Volume Sports. “In the National Football League, in the Super Bowl, if the call can be debated after, you do not make the call. New York should’ve called down and said, ‘Hey, wave that off. We’re not letting the game be determined like this.’ And they did not and that’s two mistakes in one play.
“Instead, we sit there and watch them run the clock out and kick a field goal. It just doesn’t feel right.”
Head official Carl Cheffers was asked about the penalty after the game.
James Bradberry, #24 of the Philadelphia Eagles, celebrates against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on Feb. 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“It was a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction,” he explained, via the pool report.
“There was no debate. Just making sure what he had, and once he told us what he had, we went about our business.”
Bradberry also copped to holding Smith-Schuster after the game.
James Bradberry, #24 of the Philadelphia Eagles, is called for holding against JuJu Smith-Schuster, #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs, during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on Feb. 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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“It was a holding. I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide,” he said.
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