Many football fans were left upset after a holding penalty was called toward the end of the Super Bowl, helping clinch a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The game between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was tied at 35-35 with under two minutes to play when James Bradberry was called for holding.
A replay of the third-and-eight play shows Bradberry briefly tugging on JuJu Smith-Schuster's jersey. During the broadcast, analyst Greg Olsen suggested that the referees should have not called the penalty, which came at a critical time of the game.
Had the penalty not been called, the Chiefs would have likely kicked a field goal and given the Eagles about a minute and 45 seconds to either tie or win the game. Instead, the Chiefs were able to run down the clock and kick a winning field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Super Bowl magic: Mahomes, Chiefs beat Eagles 38-35
Mahomes limped off the field after aggravating a right ankle injury before halftime, but returned to lead Kansas City to its second Super Bowl win.
After the game, Bradberry admitted to the foul.
"I pulled on his jersey. They called it. I was hoping they would let it ride," he said.
The head official, Carl Cheffers, also addressed the call after the game, telling a pool reporter that the yellow flag deservedly came out.
"The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called defensive holding," he said.
Nick Sirianni, head coach of the Eagles, was disappointed with how the game ended, but he refused to blame the game's outcome on one call.
"It's never about one play. They got to make that call in a split decision. I'm not here to debate whether it was the right call or the wrong call," he said.
