Eagles' Bradberry admits holding JuJu on late penalty: 'I tugged his jersey'

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry took full responsibility for a controversial defensive holding penalty that put the Kansas City Chiefs in position for the winning score late in Super Bowl LVII.

Bradberry was flagged for holding against Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster on a third-and-8 incompletion at the Eagles' 15-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. The penalty allowed Harrison Butker to nail a 27-yard field goal in the final 10 seconds to give the Chiefs a 38-35 victory.

Bradberry admitted that he hoped officials would let his tactics on Smith-Schuster pass.

"It was a holding. I tugged his jersey," Bradberry said postgame, according to Mike Giardi of NFL Network. "I was hoping they would let it slide."

Smith-Schuster also told reporters postgame that he "100%" felt he got held by Bradberry on the decisive third-down play, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Super Bowl LVII official Carl Cheffers stood by the call made on the field.

"The receiver went to the inside, and he was attempting to release to the outside. The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside," Cheffers said, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "So, therefore, we called defensive holding."

He added: "It was a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction. There was no debate."

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni downplayed the significance of the penalty call.

"There's so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game, and today, (the Chiefs) were better than we were," Sirianni said, per Garafolo.

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