Most scholars believe in Nikephoros's direct involvement, but Treadgold holds it likelier that the soldiers acted on their own, since Bardanes was no longer a credible threat to the Emperor.
Kebanyakan ahli percaya pada keterlibatan langsung Nikephoros, tetapi Treadgold memegang kemungkinan lebih besar bahwa para prajurit bertindak sendiri, karena Vardanis bukan lagi ancaman yang kredibel kepada Kaisar.