A Penalty is a Penalty, Game Circumstances Don't Matter

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by Julian Spivey
It’s been more than 24 hours since the end of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 and I’m still seeing and hearing complaints about the controversial holding penalty that some have even gone as far as saying ruined the game.

With the score tied 35-35 and 1:54 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had a third-and-eight at the Philadelphia 15-yard line when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempted a pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The ball fell incomplete but a flag soon hit the turf behind it. It was a potentially game-changing call. If the pass was incomplete the Chiefs would be forced to kick a field goal to take a three-point lead with almost two minutes to play giving the Eagles a chance to tie or win the game. A penalty would give the Chiefs a first down and the ability to run the clock out and win the game with either a field goal or a touchdown.

Referee Carl Cheffers keyed his mic and announced: holding on defense No. 24 (Eagles cornerback James Bradberry). The Chiefs got the first down. They ran the clock down to as few seconds as they possibly could. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker took the field for a 27-yard field goal. He made it. The Eagles couldn’t score in the remaining eight seconds of the game. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

Fox Sports color analyst and former longtime NFL tight end Greg Olsen was incredulous that it was a bad call. Many sports talking heads, journalists and fans alike on Twitter were angered that such a ticky-tack call was made at such a pivotal time and perhaps altered the game.

Following the game, pool reporter Lindsay Jones asked Cheffers about the call. He said there was “no debate” between the officiating crew about it.

He said: “The receiver went to the inside, and he was attempting to release to the outside. The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called defending holding.”

Bradberry, to his credit, admitted the call was right to reporters in the locker room after the game. “It was holding,” he said. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”

It seems many watching the game were hoping the officials would let it slide too. But if the player that commits the penalty agrees that it is a penalty why are we having such a problem with the call?
“On this stage, I think you let them play, finish this thing out,” Olsen said on the Fox broadcast.

A lot of people have been saying that a close game late on a big stage should be officiated differently than others. But if a penalty is a penalty it shouldn’t matter if it’s the first quarter of the first game of the season or the final two minutes of the Super Bowl.

Do we really want games officiated based on when and where they take place? That opens up too many possibilities for things to go wrong.

Also, this call was a no-win situation for the officials. If they didn’t call defensive holding for Bradberry’s jersey tug of Smith-Schuster and the Chiefs only came out of the drive with a field goal and the Eagles had marched down the field for a game-winning touchdown wouldn’t Chiefs fans be feeling the exact same way today as Eagles fans are?

On the zoomed-in photo of the play you clearly see the jersey tug. By the rulebook that’s defensive holding. The officials know that. Bradberry knows that. We at home watching the game know that. The rest doesn’t matter. The officials actually got this call right and are still being hammered by many for it. 

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