Glendale (United States) (AFP) - Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry said Sunday a late penalty call that effectively sealed his team's Super Bowl defeat was the correct decision.
Bradberry was flagged for holding Kansas City Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster with just 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 38-35 loss.
The decision handed Kansas City a fresh set of downs, allowing them to run down the clock before kicker Harrison Butker stepped up to slot the game-winning field goal.
The penalty call drew a furious response on social media with fans and several former players questioning the fairness of calling a debatable penalty at such a pivotal point of the game.
But Bradberry admitted on Sunday he had held Smith-Schuster and that the penalty flag had been justified.
"It was a holding," Bradberry said."I tugged his jersey.I was hoping they would let it slide."
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also had few complaints about the decision, insisting Philadelphia's defeat was down to more than one decision.
"It's not my job to make the call," Sirianni said."Those guys have to do that in split-second scenarios.That's what he saw and he called it.
"I know it always appears to be one call that makes the difference, but that's not what this is.
"There's so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game -- and today they were better than we were."
Super Bowl referee Carl Cheffers said the incident had been a "clear case" of holding.
"It was a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction," Cheffers told a pool reporter on Sunday.
Asked if there was any debate among the officiating crew before the call was made, Cheffers replied: "There was no debate.Just making sure what he had, and once he told us what he had, we went about our business."
