"I'm sorry, but I don't like that decision": the controversial penalty that was decisive in the result of Super Bowl LVII

JuJu Smith-Schuster catches a ball off James Bradberry during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.

Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images

(CNN) --

With a 35-35 tie in Super Bowl LVII with just 1:54 to go, the Kansas City Chiefs faced a critical third down in Philadelphia Eagles territory to keep their drive and exhaust the game. time before attempting a winning field goal.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, newly named NFL MVP, waited and threw a pass into the end zone to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who fell to the Arizona turf.

Just when it looked like the drive was ending and Kansas City would have to kick a field goal that would allow the Eagles a chance for a final drive with about 90 seconds remaining, plenty of time for Jalen Hurts and company, an umpire waved a flag. yellow on the field signaling a penalty.

Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was judged by the officials to have held Smith-Schuster, giving the Chiefs an automatic first down and allowing them to let the clock run down to 11 seconds before kicking the game-winning field goal. so the victory was practically sealed.

• Super Bowl LVII Result: Kansas City Chiefs 38 - Philadelphia Eagles 35

Immediately afterwards, television announcers questioned the refereeing.

"In this scenario, I think you have to let them play, finish the game," said Fox announcer Greg Olsen, a former star tight end.

"I don't love that decision."

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And on social media, she was called into question by many, as people maligned her for effectively deciding the outcome of the biggest game in the NFL.

"Sorry, but I don't like that decision! Not for the Super Bowl," NBA legend LeBron James said on Twitter.

His hand on his back had no effect on his route!

This game was too damn good for that call to dictate the outcome at the end.

Damn!

By the way I have no horse in the race.

Just my professional opinion

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 13, 2023

In another tweet, James said: "His hand on his back had no effect on his route! This match was too good for that decision to dictate the outcome in the end."

Damn.

By the way, I have no interest in it.

It's just my professional opinion."

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes called it "such a disgusting way to decide a Super Bowl."

Former Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant said "that wasn't a holding call... under 5 yards too... that call sure dictated the outcome of the game..."

I gotta keep it G and I'm a wide out to ❤️ I have to admit that wasn't a holding call.. under 5yds as well… that call for sure dictate the outcome of the game…

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) February 13, 2023

NFL commentator Kirk Herbstreit said that he hated the foul at that stage of the game.

"I don't normally get into bashing refs but I HATE that defensive foul on Bradberry. 35-35 late on an incompletion 3rd down on what was a marginal foul," he wrote on Twitter.

"Let 'em play man!!! Bad call-hate that's what a lot of people are going to take away from this game."

But the players involved in the play, and the officials on Sunday, were unequivocal about the foul that occurred on that play.

"It was a grab," Bradberry told reporters after the Eagles' 38-35 loss.

"I tugged at his shirt. I was hoping they'd let it through."

Smith-Schuster, who finished with seven receptions and 53 receiving yards in the Super Bowl, said there was "100%" a holding on the play.

"My route is to hit in, hit out. Bradberry is a good player, but I think one day the foul would be called," he told reporters.

Referee Carl Cheffers later told Lindsay Jones that there was "no debate" about whether or not there was a penalty.

"The receiver went to the inside, and he was trying to get loose to the outside," Cheffers said.

"The defender grabbed his shirt with his right hand and prevented him from breaking free to the outside. So therefore we call him a defensive holding."

Regardless of the merits of the foul itself, for Eagles center Jason Kelce, it was clear he wasn't the only thing behind Philadelphia's loss.

"They whistled it, and that's the way things are. I've said it before, I'm never going to be someone who blames the referees. It's hard work. They make a decision. It is what it is," he told reporters after the match. game.

"There were a lot of other moments in the game where we were able to win the game and I think we came close. We could have won that game without the referees making... without that decision making the difference."

Yet despite the clarity of the people involved in the play, conversations on social media and beyond will debate whether or not the Super Bowl was decided by that foul.

Super Bowl LVIII