Bengals player who was inactive committed costly penalty in Super Bowl

Vernon Hargreaves was not in uniform for Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, but the veteran cornerback still managed to have a significant impact on the game — and not in a good way.

Bengals defensive back Jessie Bates III made a huge play to intercept a pass from Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford late in the first half. The Bengals should have gotten the ball at their own 20 after the touchback, but Hargreaves cost them 10 valuable yards. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for coming off the bench to join his teammates in celebration. The penalty was half the distance to the goal.

Here’s what got Hargreaves in trouble:

Hargreaves was wearing flip-flops and shorts, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. The stunt had to have infuriated Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.

The Bengals ended up punting on their ensuing possession. It’s impossible to say if the result would have been different without the penalty, but it certainly didn’t help. Perhaps the drive would have gone differently if they started at the 20 instead of the 10.