Watch: Richard Sherman weighs in on controversial penalty in Super Bowl LVII
Add former Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman to the list of noteworthy people who disagreed with what became the most controversial penalty called in Super Bowl LVII.
"If the call’s debatable, you do not call it," Sherman explained during the latest edition of "The Richard Sherman Podcast," per Kevin Harrish of The Comeback. "In the National Football League, in the Super Bowl, if the call can be debated after, you do not make the call. New York (the league office) should’ve called down and said, 'Hey, wave that off. We’re not letting the game be determined like this.' And they did not and that’s two mistakes in one play."
The Kansas City Chiefs were facing a 3rd-and-8 at the Philadelphia Eagles' 15-yard line with just under two minutes to play in regulation and the score tied 35-35 on Sunday night. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes badly missed wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and threw an incomplete pass that stopped the clock, but Philadelphia cornerback James Bradberry was called for defensive holding.
The penalty gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs and an opportunity to bleed the clock nearly out until Harrison Butker made a short field goal that propelled Kansas City to a 38-35 victory:
Some may suggest that Sherman merely supported a fellow defensive player with his comments, especially considering that ESPN's Tim McManus pointed out Bradberry admitted after the game he held Smith-Schuster. Referee Carl Cheffers called Bradberry's action "a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction," but multiple coaches around the NFL complained about the call via text messages shared by The Athletic's Mike Sando.
One offensive coordinator from an AFC team remarked to Sando that "by Wednesday, no one will even remember (the penalty) happened except Philly players, coaches and fans." That certainly wasn't the case during sports talk television and radio programs throughout Monday:
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