- The Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII due in part to a controversial late-game holding call.
- Kansas City's JuJu Smith-Schuster trolled Philly with a Valentine's Day tweet about the penalty.
Tempers have kept flaring between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles even days after Super Bowl Sunday.
The Chiefs took down the Eagles 38-35 in a come-from-behind victory that hinged on a controversial late-game holding call. With just under two minutes left in a tied game, and the ball on Philadelphia's 15-yard line, Kansas City looked poised to give the Eagles one last possession when quarterback Patrick Mahomes overthrew receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on 3rd-and-8.
But when the referees whistled Philadelphia cornerback James Bradberry for pulling on Smith-Schuster's jersey during the play, any chance of an Eagles comeback virtually washed away. The Chiefs earned a fresh set of downs, with which they were able to drain the clock and kick a last-second field goal to secure the win.
—Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) February 15, 2023
Two days later — on February 14 — Smith-Schuster tweeted out a mock Valentine's Day card featuring a photo of Bradberry with the words: "I'll hold you when it matters most," clearly referencing the penalty that sealed Kansas City's victory.
—JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) February 14, 2023
Unsurprisingly, Bradberry and his teammates in Philadelphia didn't take kindly to the receiver's joke. Just a few minutes after Smith-Schuster's post, the cornerback tweeted out a reminder that he was named to an NFL All-Pro team this season.
But his fellow Eagles weren't willing to let Smith-Schuster off the hook so easily. Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown slammed the receiver for the "lame" tweet and claimed Smith-Schuster "was on the way out the league before mahomes resurrected your career on your 1 year deal."
The two-time Pro Bowler also called him "Tik-Tok boy" — a reference to the dance videos Smith-Schuster frequently shares on the social media platform.
"Don't act like your [sic] like that or ever was," he added. "But congratulations again!"
"Glad you were finally able to get all that off your chest after all these years," the newly minted Super Bowl champion responded in a quote tweet.
Then he added: "Good game bro "
—JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) February 14, 2023
Other Eagles players jumped into the fray, too. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson tweeted that Smith-Schuster "ran from me when I check him in game... then 10 got his smoke."
The wide receiver pushed back, claiming that "I told you in the game to stop all that talkin because we were gonna come back and win that game.
"Now help me decide which finger I need to get sized for this ring," he wrote.
—JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) February 15, 2023
Cornerback Darius Slay said Bradberry doesn't "bother nobody on or off the field" and that Smith-Schuster's post was "Lame Af!!!"
—Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) February 14, 2023
Other players from various teams around the league were quick to weigh in as well. Retired running back LeGarrette Blount listed out some of Smith-Schuster's less-than-magnificent stats, then tweeted "don't be a dickhead and continue to play your role on a already great team with a great coach."
Former Kansas City superstar Tyreek Hill — who was traded to the Miami Dolphins ahead of this season — quoted Brown's tweet and added "man played victim." Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons subtweeted the Chiefs wide receiver by suggesting that "social media has allowed players social media skills be better than their football skills."
It's unclear how many of the replies Smith-Schuster has seen. As of noon Wednesday, he and his teammates were busy parading through Kansas City with the Lombardi Trophy in tow.