Old habits die hard, and Bruce Arians will always be B.A. when he’s on the sideline.
The NFL wrote Arians a letter this week admonishing him for his sideline actions during the Buccaneers‘ 20-10 win against the Saints. CBS Sports obtained a portion of the letter sent to the former Bucs coach, who now serves as a senior football consultant for the team.
“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 stated. “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.”
Arians was seen jawing with Saints players in the buildup to the scuffle that led to the ejections of Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore (as well as Evans’ subsequent suspension.) He was also spotted working the officials while walking on the thick white sideline, usually a space reserved only for the head coach.
Eyebrows around the league were raised during the game when he was spotted on the sideline earlier in the game. While it’s normal to see former coaches and alumni on the sidelines pregame, it’s extremely unusual to see a former head coach in the bench area during the game.
The reason was simple. The Buccaneers, like many teams at many road venues, requested a suite at the Superdome for their front office personnel. The Saints didn’t have a suite available for the Bucs and instead offered them seats in the press box — also a common practice in the league. According to a seat chart, the Bucs had 19 seats in the Superdome press box, with seat No. 63 reserved for Arians.
The Buccaneers simply did not want to sit in the press box. As any visiting media member can attest to, the Superdome press box is at the top of the stadium and is situated under a powerful A/C unit. It’s not uncommon for people seated there to be seen wearing a coat and/or gloves during the game because of the cold.
Arians, along with GM Jason Licht, stood on the sideline for the game. A GM usually doesn’t stand on the sideline for a game, but it’s not…
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