"Would've punched him" - Shannon Sharpe says he wouldn't have taken Bruce Arians slap to the head lightly
If Bruce Arians had given Shannon Sharpe, Hall of Fame tight end and co-host of Undisputed, the same treatment he gave Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Andrew Adams during their NFC Wild Card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sharpe reckons he would have punched him the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
During a segment on the Fox Sports 1 show, Sharpe recalled an experience from when he was younger involving a family member hitting him in the head, the same action Arians used on Adams. It is Sharpe's belief that you should not hit anyone on the head for any reason.
And if it was him instead of Adams who had received that hit from Arians, Sharpe says things would have played out differently. He said:
"BA (Bruce Arians) would have had a problem with Shannon Sharpe had he done that to me, Skip. I'm telling you, I would have punched BA 'cos you can't do that. I thought it was disrespectful.
Sharpe doubled-down on his comments, saying that the physical nature of his response to Arians in that scenario would have been justified.
"My response to him would have been justified because he would've had no regret, no remorse, for what he did, I in turn have no regret punching him, shoving his you-know-what to the ground and letting him know.
Sharpe then went on to say that he understands the point Arians was trying to get across, by reprimanding Adams for getting involved and potentially inciting a melee which would have ultimately resulted in a penalty for the Buccaneers safety.
"I get the point you're trying to make that you don't want me to get a penalty in this situation but I'm gonna get a penalty for whipping your butt. "
Bruce Arians and I would’ve had a problem if he did that to me https://t.co/ECWNtqxwql
Shannon Sharpe's co-host Skip Bayless also agreed with the former NFL tight-end's sentiments on the matter, and stated via a tweet that there is a better and more effective way to drive home a point that you're making as a head 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."
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.
Arians fined for hitting Adams; Buccaneers prepare to host Los Angeles
As reported by Ian Rapoport, the NFL took decisive action and have issued Arians a $50,000 dollar fine for his actions towards Adams.
Source: #Bucs coach Bruce Arians was fined $50,000 for his actions Sunday.
As for on-field matters, the Buccaneers will host the Los Angeles Rams in a hotly anticipated NFC Divisional Round matchup on Sunday night, after they defeated the Eagles 31-15.
The Rams have one of the most effective passing offenses in the NFL and dominated NFC West rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, in their Wild Card contest last weekend with a 34-11 victory.
It is also worth noting that Bruce Arians has apparently moved to appeal the fine handed to him by the NFL. Arians and the NFL community alike will surerly know the outcome of said appeal relatively soon. But first all eyes will be on the Buccaneers playoff encounter this Sunday.
Bucs’ HC Bruce Arians said he will appeal the $50,000 fine that the NFL imposed on him today for this action: https://t.co/itS0RvIbvd