Bucs Coach Under Fire After Smacking Player During Sunday's Game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 this past Sunday, and as a result, they will be moving on to the next round against the L.A. Rams. The Rams are also coming off a blowout win, moving past the Arizona Cardinals with an impressive 34-11 victory in the Monday night game. While many are excited about this Sunday's game, a number of headlines coming out of last weekend's games are of the more scandalous variety. First, there were reports of brawls breaking out in the stands, and now many have focused their attention on Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians smacking defensive back Andrew Adams during a scrum for a fumble:

Bruce Arians catches Andrew Adams with a left hook. 😳#PHIvsTB #GoBucs #SuperWildCardWeekend
pic.twitter.com/dIBGA7KMbk
— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) January 16, 2022

Arians, a 2x Associated Press Coach of the Year, said after the game that he was merely trying to prevent a penalty...

Arians on him slapping safety Andrew Adams in the helmet during Sunday's game: "You can't pull guys out of a pile. I was trying to knock him off that guy so we didn't get a penalty."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 17, 2022

But many, including Undisputed's Skip Bayless, thought that the gesture was out of line for an NFL coach:

Bruce Arians is old school and respected as a players' coach. But running onto the field to smack Anthony Adams on the helmet for pulling an Eagle off the pile is just ... out of bounds. There's a better and equally effective way to drive home that point.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 16, 2022

While neither the NFL nor the NFL Players Association have made an official statement regarding the matter, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, the situation is "being handled".