Details of the NFL's letter to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians admonishing his sideline behavior during a Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints have surfaced.
As revealed by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the “warning” letter from the league office strongly requests that an NFL veteran like Arians—who's serving as a senior football consultant for Tampa Bay this season after stepping down as coach in late March—holds himself “to a higher standard” going forward, working “to defuse difficult situations, rather than provoking them or otherwise engendering ill will.”
Arians, 69, could be seen exchanging words with Saints players before the on-field scuffle involving Tom Brady that ultimately prompted the ejections of Bucs star receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans defensive back Marshon Lattimore. Evans was also suspended for Tampa Bay's Week 3 tilt with the Green Bay Packers.
“As someone who has been in a leadership role as a head coach and who continues to have a profound influence on the team and the league, we would ask that you hold yourself up to a higher standard,” the letter reads. “Going forward, you must make it a priority to exemplify the values of the game. Work to defuse difficult situations, rather than provoking them or otherwise engendering ill will.
“This letter serves as a warning. Please be advised that future violations of this policy or similar conduct will result in accountability measures for you individually, as well as discipline for your club.”
CBS Sports reports that “eyebrows around the league were raised” when Arians, officially a member of the Bucs' front office, was walking in a space on the sideline normally reserved for coaches.
However, Arians and general manager Jason Licht were reportedly on the sidelines because the team's request for a suite at the Super Dome for executives to watch the game was denied. Instead, New Orleans offered Tampa Bay seats in the press box, a vantage point Arians and Licht opted against because it sits high above the field, directly below an A/C unit.
Bruce Arians amassed a 31-18 record during his three seasons as Bucs head coach, leading them to a win in Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs. Todd Bowles, Tampa's defensive coordinator under Arians, replaced him.
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