NFL coach Bruce Arians fined $70k for slapping own player mid-match

NFL coach Bruce Arians has copped a hefty whack to his hip pocket after he laid his hands on his own player in the middle of a game.

Bruce Arians has come under fire.

Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians has been fined $US50,000 ($AUD70,000) for his actions during the Buccaneers’ wildcard win against the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he slapped the helmet of star Andrew Adams and appeared to lean into him.

A day after the incident took place, a source told Pro Football Talk that the situation involving the Buccaneers head coach was “being handled”.

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The New York Post reports the NFL and the NFL Players Association have yet to address video footage that shows the incident. The Buccaneers have also been silent.

During his press conference the day after beating Philadelphia, Arians said he was trying to prevent Adams from drawing a penalty, per the Tampa Bay Times.

“You can’t pull guys out of a pile. We just got a big play, great field position, and he’s trying to pull a guy out of a pile, and I was trying to knock him off of that guy so he didn’t get a penalty,” he said.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who was calling the game for the NFL on Fox, said he wasn’t sure what Arians was aggravated about.

“Bruce Arians comes in. He’s pretty excited,” Aikman said at the time. “He takes a whack at Adams … Not exactly sure what that’s about.”

Per NFL rules, coaches are subject to fines or disciplinary action for laying hands on a player or official.

AB's lawyer seeing this ✍✍pic.twitter.com/2nH6O2OG6y

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 16, 2022

Meanwhile, former Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown tweeted a clip of the incident on Tuesday.

Brown last played with the Buccaneers on January 2 in a win against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. He never finished the game, however, after making a shirtless exit in the third quarter. He later accused Tampa of trying to force him to play through an ankle injury.

But Brown seems to be getting around just fine on two feet while recently hanging out with rappers and celebrities, including Kanye West and Big Sean, and promoting his music.

Brown said in a previous statement that he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle and plans to return to “100 per cent” next season.

It’ll be interesting to see if another team will take a chance on the Pro Bowl receiver after his failed experiments in Pittsburgh and Tampa.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission