Super Bowl Fight: Kneel-Down Brawl Sullied Bizarre and Memorable Finish

Super Bowl 49 had arguably the wildest and most bizarre finish in the history of the NFL's title game.

We'll surely remember Malcolm Butler's clutch interception, or the controversial decision by the Seattle Seahawks to throw the ball near the goal-line rather than run it with Marshawn Lynch. Who could forget Jermaine Kearse's crazy catch to get Seattle in scoring position in the first place, or Tom Brady leading the Patriots back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter?

Ah, but we'll also remember the fight that broke out as the Patriots took a knee to end the game, leading 28-24. And while that event made the game's finish even crazier than it already was, it also somewhat  sullied the amazing events that preceded it. 

Then again, maybe it truly was the perfect way to end this season, as Dan Graziano of ESPN tweeted:

Michael Bennett, one of the instigators in the brawl, didn't exactly seem contrite after the game, per Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated:

Take away Bennett's condescending and unnecessary jab, and he's sort of right. Fights happen in football. It's a physical, testosterone-laden game and tempers flare. It happens all the time.

It just doesn't generally happen at the end of the season's biggest game, with hundreds of millions of people watching around the world. You have to think the NFL's top brass were watching the game, loving every dramatic moment until a fight broke out and made everyone involved look pretty silly. 

It was in that moment that you just wanted the players on the field to have a little perspective. Yes, you're frustrated with the loss, but you also represent yourself, your team and your league in that moment. Suck it up and and walk off the field with your dignity intact. Lose with a little grace. 

That's easy to say from behind a keyboard. It's also the way adults are expected to handle hardships like losing a football game.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

But why not sandwich an amazing game with controversy? Before the game it was Deflategate. As the game closed, we got a brawl. Every amazing moment that has happened in the NFL this season has seemingly been matched by a story that made the league look bad. It's that contrast between the soaring popularity of the league and the diminishing reputation of those who run it and compete in it that will ultimately define this season.

The fight that ended the game will diminish in our memories as the years go by. We'll remember Butler and the questionable play call more than we'll remember Rob Gronkowski swinging a Seahawks player to the ground in the end zone. 

But that doesn't mean it wasn't a bad look. And in a season of bad looks for the NFL, it was probably the most appropriate way the game could have possibly ended.