TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Antoine Winfield Jr. #31 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taunts Tyreek Hill #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)One of the most memorable moments of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LV was Bucs rookie cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. taunting Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill after a fourth down incompletion.
But while the play did earn Winfield a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Super Bowl winner isn’t apologizing. Speaking to the media after the game, Winfield said he was paying Hill back for taunting him in their Week 12 meeting a few months prior.
Hill had 13 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 12 win for the Chiefs. During that game, he flashed the peace sign at the Bucs.
“The taunting, man, it’s something I just had to do,” Winfield said. “When we played them earlier, Hill went off on us. He back-flipped in front of my face and gave me the peace sign. So it was only right that I gave him the peace sign right back to him. It felt amazing to do that. I’m not even gonna lie.”
Antoine Winfield: It was only right that I gave Tyreek Hill the peace sign back https://t.co/i9iMHboxVx
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 8, 2021
The Bucs got their revenge on Hill and then some in the Super Bowl. They held him to seven catches for 73 yards and five rushing yards in the big game.
Meanwhile, Winfield was a candidate for Super Bowl MVP with how well he played in coverage.
The rookie cornerback had six tackles, two passes defended and an interception in the 31-9 win.
So whatever potential fines Winfield might be looking at from the NFL, he thinks it was worth it.
