Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians Fined for Striking Player During Playoff Win

Bruce Arians was will have to pay the NFL a lot of money for striking his own player. According to ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach has been fined $50,000 for swiping his hand at safety Andrew Adams helmet during the playoff game against the Philadephia Eagles on Sunday. Arians was trying to move Adams, who was attempting to pull a player out of a pile following a muffed punt by Jalen Reagor. Adams could have been penalized, which is why Arians went after him. 

Arians was asked about the fine by reporters on Wednesday. “I’ll appeal it,” Arians said. “It ain’t got nothing to do with the game, so we’re good.” ESPN mentioned the note Arians received said he displayed “conduct directed towards your players that fell below standards expected of an NFL head coach.” Reporters then asked the 69-year-old coach if regretted making physical contact with Adams. 

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“No,” Arians said. “I’ve seen enough dumb. You can’t pull guys out of a pile. We just got a big play, great field position, and he’s trying to pull a guy out of a pile and I was trying to knock him off that guy so he didn’t get a penalty.”  The Buccaneers won the game 31-15 and will face the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday. Arians and the Buccaneers are looking to win their second consecutive Super Bowl and understand that taking care of the football is key to their success moving forward. 

“I think everybody touching it, our runners, our receivers, everybody’s very conscious of ball security,” Arians said after the Eagles game, per the team’s official website. “Tom hasn’t come close to throwing one [interception]. It’s hard to beat us when we’re scoring points and don’t give it to the other team.” The Buccaneers finished the regular season, with a 13-4 record and won the NFC South. They just missed out on clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC as the Green Bay Packers had a better conference record.

Arians became the Bucs head coach in 2019 after taking a year off. He was previously the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and tallied a 49-30 record in five seasons.