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Super Bowl 56: Inactive player draws unusual unsportsmanlike penalty for Cincinnati Bengals
By Paul Harvey
Published:
It’s not often a player can be called for a penalty while sitting on the bench, but that’s what happened for Cincinnati Bengals defender Vernon Hargreaves.
Late in the second quarter, the Los Angeles Rams decided to take a deep shot. QB Matt Stafford took a huge throw toward the end zone and receiver Van Jefferson, but that pass was picked off by Jessie Bates III.
It was a huge swing of momentum for the Bengals, getting the ball back with 2 minutes left in the half. Unfortunately, Vernon Hargreaves rushed the field to celebrate with his teammates. The problem? Hargreaves drew a flag for running on the field as a non-uniform player.
The first penalty on the #Bengals all game? Vernon Hargreaves coming off the bench after the Jessie Bates INT
🤦♂️pic.twitter.com/xZ4qPB4JvV
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 14, 2022
Hargreaves’ costly decision drew a predictable response from viewers on social media:
Vernon Hargreaves has a PFF grade under 50 this year, and if you thought that wasn’t gonna get worse just because he was inactive for the Super Bowl…
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) February 14, 2022
Vernon Hargreaves tomorrow pic.twitter.com/MLzP7qz6pY
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) February 14, 2022
I didn’t have Vernon Hargreaves running onto the field in sweats on my Bingo card.
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) February 14, 2022
Vernon Hargreaves getting a penalty in a game he’s not dressed for is perfectly Vernon Hargreaves
— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) February 14, 2022
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.