Yahoo Sports Bucs rookie's peace sign to Tyreek Hill was petty revenge months in the making
Few things make a Super Bowl better than good, ol’-fashioned pettiness.
In Super Bowl LV, the most petty moment came via Tampa Bay Buccaneers Antoine Winfield Jr., who didn’t forget one of the biggest moments of disrespect of his short NFL career.
The story began back in November, when the Bucs faced the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season and got eviscerated by Chiefs star Tyreek Hill. Hill posted a career-high 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay secondary, with his first score coming via a 75-yard touchdown.
It was the kind of play that typically looks so easy for Hill and Patrick Mahomes. By the time Hill reached the end zone, the lone defender near him was Winfield, so it was Winfield who received Hill’s signature peace sign taunt:
Mahomes to Tyreek Hill for a 75-yard TD. Too easy. ✌️✌️pic.twitter.com/d9H8eyAckl
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) November 29, 2020
Fast forward to Sunday, and things weren’t so easy for the Chiefs. The NFL’s most potent passing offense failed to score a touchdown against a Tampa Bay front that made life miserable for Mahomes.
With the game all but over, the Chiefs failed to convert on fourth-and-10 after Mahomes failed to connect with Hill. Once again, the defender closest to Hill was Winfield, and the roles were reversed down to the peace sign:
LOL Winfield pic.twitter.com/3FZ29PvqG8
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) February 8, 2021
For his petty revenge, Winfield received a meaningless 15-yard penalty for taunting. He wasn’t exactly contrite after the game, via Fox 26’s Mark Berman:
”The taunting, it was something I just had to do. When we played them earlier, Hill went off on us. He back-flipped in front of my face, gave me the peace sign, so it was only right I gave him the peace sign right back to him. At this moment, it felt amazing to be able to do that, not even going to lie.”
It was a pretty great day for Winfield overall, as the rookie posted six tackles, two passes defended and a tip-drill interception in his first Super Bowl.
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