Bucs' Bruce Arians fined $50,000 by the NFL for hitting player
The Bucs' head coach is in the headlines for the second time in recent weeks, but not for reasons that will be seen as positive from outside.
As they head to the divisional round, the Bucs now have a disciplinary issue to face, only this time it concerns their coach.
Bucs' Bruce Arians fined by NFL, but he's indifferent
According to reports, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has been fined $50,000 after video appeared to show him making contact with Tampa Bay safety Andrew Adams during the Bucs' win over the Eagles. Arians could be seen slapping Adams helmet after while his team raced to a 31-15 win against Philadelphia on Sunday night. Speaking in his own defense Arians claimed on Monday that he was trying to stop Adams from committing a penalty. The Bucs' head coach alluded to the idea that he believed Adams was attempting to pull an Eagles players off the pile following a muffed punt by the Eagles.
Asked if he regretted his actions Arians was unapologetic saying, "No, I've seen enough dumb. You can't pull guys out of out of pile. We just got a big play, great field position and he's trying to pull a guy out of the pile and I was trying to knock him off that guy so he didn't get a penalty."
Bruce Arians moves on
This is the second time in recent weeks that Arians has been in the news for his hard line stance when it comes to his own players. Just a few weeks ago the coach took the decision to release wide receiver Antonio Brown after the player refused to enter a late season game against the New York Jets. Brown claimed that his refusal was based on his injured ankle, Arians disagreed, saying that Brown did not speak of his injury, but rather his lack of involvement in the offensive play at which point the coach asked him to leave. Regardless, it's clear that Tampa Bay's man in charge is not very bothered by the fine or the circumstances surrounding it. "I'll appeal it," Arians said Wednesday. "It ain't got nothing to do with the game, so we're good."
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Whatever the case, Arians has guided the Buccaneers to where they are now, which is to say three wins away from making NFL history as only the ninth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls and should they do it, the first since the 2003-04 Patriots. The first obstacle on that path comes in the form of the Los Angeles Rams this very weekend.