By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Arizona Cardinals got flagged for a costly penalty in the final minute of their loss to the Patriots on Sunday. And receiver DeAndre Hopkins was none too pleased about it in a pair of since-deleted tweets after the game.
“Imagine this being called a late hit,” Hopkins tweeted while mentioning the NFL in reaction to a clip of Isaiah Simmons’ hit on Cam Newton as the Patriots quarterback was running out of bounds. The officials flagged Simmons for unnecessary roughness, tacking on 15 yards to Newton’s big 14-yard run to pick up a third-and-13. Newton was still in bounds when the hit was delivered, while others argued that the helmet contact was incidental.
But regardless, the officials didn’t even rule helmet-to-helmet contact, they ruled a late hit. So Hopkins was obviously frustrated about the call, which helped set up the Patriots deep into Cardinals territory and allowed Nick Folk to line up and kick a game-winning 50-yard field goal.
DeAndre Hopkins was none too pleased in a pair of tweets about the call on this hit on Cam Newton. (Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY)
Thanks to the internet being forever, Hopkins’ tweets were screenshotted before he could get rid of them. You can see the original tweets below via Steve Perrault.
I love when players rush to Twitter to complain about a call right after the game. Hopkins deleted both tweets after being wrong. Take your loss and go home pal pic.twitter.com/LvTaNCbfJC
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) November 29, 2020
Hopkins may have just been frustrated about his own performance. Though he was able to make some plays on Stephon Gilmore in an imperfect performance for the All-Pro corner, Hopkins never found the end zone or burned the Patriots secondary for a big play. It was a strong bounceback performance for the defense overall, and a relatively down day for Hopkins.
MORE: Isaiah Simmons’ hit on Cam Newton the subject of controversy
So it’s fair to wonder if he was irrationally angry about the penalty, which was ultimately a mental mistake by Simmons. Quarterbacks are going to get that call, even if they’ve become a runner. Hopkins certainly understands that himself.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff or send him a nasty email at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.