Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins sparked a bit of a stir on social media before he even hauled in 10 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win against the Seattle Seahawks.
According to The Arizona Republic, participants in a Phoenix-area, pro-Trump highway caravan claimed that Hopkins swerved in front of the group and flipped off the Trump supporters.
Photos of the encounter showed a man who was definitely Hopkins (he was wearing the same shirt as seen in the Cardinals’ pregame photos) driving a black Ferrari. And on Tuesday, Hopkins confirmed that it was indeed him behind the wheel.
DeAndre Hopkins driving a Ferrari giving the double bird to a pro-Trump caravan is the type of content I need pic.twitter.com/oHoAmoDn11
— Al Gore’s Internet (@KingFavre) October 26, 2020
Hopkins joined the All Things Covered podcast and explained what unfolded on his drive to State Farm Stadium.
Hopkins said that after he found himself in the lineup of Trump vehicles, a truck in front of him slammed on its brakes. So, Hopkins had to maneuver to avoid an accident, and that was when broke out the double birds. He also added that he initially meant to do a peace sign instead of middle fingers.
"I really was about to give the peace sign to them, but this finger was kinda hurting so it didn't make it up in time…"
You have to hear @DeAndreHopkins side of the story about what happened on the way to the game the other night…
— Bryant McFadden (@BMac_SportsTalk) October 27, 2020
Hopkins said:
“Driving down the highway I guess I got in between a train or a bunch of cars that I wasn’t supposed to be in between in my car. And they were honking the horn at me and stuff like that I guess to tell me to get out of their way, and I didn’t. The guy in front of me stepped on his breaks and tried to stop dead in traffic, and I got around him and I stuck him a birdie. I really was about to do the peace sign to him, but this finger right here was kinda hurting, so it didn’t make it up in time.
“But I was like, ‘Damn, dude, you’re trying to stop on breaks in dead traffic, cause I’m in your guys’ train and what not, just trying to go to work?’ So, yeah, it was nothing. There wasn’t nothing thrown out the car or anything like that. No speeding. Obviously, you see me right there. If I was in a Ferrari speeding, I don’t think you would be able to take a still picture of me. But yeah, that’s all.”
While several tweets claimed that Hopkins was pulled over for driving recklessly, both The Republic and 12 News reported that the Arizona Department of Public Safety had no record of a traffic stop involving the Cardinals receiver.
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