Eagles' James Bradberry Talks Taking Responsibility for Super Bowl Holding Penalty

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry wasn't going to pass the buck regarding his controversial holding penalty toward the end of his team's 38-35 Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

"I feel like I only had two options, really: I could take responsibility for it, or I could blame it on someone else," he told reporters Tuesday. "I try not to live that way. ...It comes from my Mom or coaches in the past I've had, taking accountability."

The 2020 Pro Bowler was flagged for holding Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 3rd-and-8 with 1:54 remaining. Without the penalty, Harrison Butker would've still probably put Kansas City ahead with a field goal, but the Eagles would've had a lot of time to either extend the game or score a decisive touchdown.

A number of fans were left disappointed that an officiating decision effectively ended what was a classic contest. By the time Philly got the ball back, it had six seconds to run one play from its own 36-yard line.

Bradberry came to the defense of the referees immediately after the game.

"It was a holding," he told reporters. "I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide."

Teammate Brandon Graham didn't want to relitigate the matter either.

"I trust them refs, man," he said. "The refs gonna make the call in the moment of the game. That one right there, that one stung a little bit, but we shouldn't even put ourselves in that position."

A sense of injustice among fans is understandable to a degree because the infraction in question was marginal and a blatant foul. But it was a holding penalty by the letter of the law.

And ultimately, the Eagles only have themselves to blame for failing to maintain the 10-point lead they held at halftime.