Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins says there needs to be new leadership in officiating following the club’s 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.
On a fourth-and-2 from the Ravens’ 33-yard line with 5:56 to go in the first quarter, quarterback Deshaun Watson heaved a deep ball into the right corner of the end zone that fell incomplete as Hopkins was unable to reach the football. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey hung on to Hopkins and made it difficult to haul in the catch.
After the loss, Hopkins retweeted pictures from ESPN Sportscenter’s official account with images of the alleged missed infraction.
“As a leader in the NFL, we need someone new in New York deciding calls,” Hopkins wrote.
The crew for the game was headed up by referee Alex Kemp. When coach Bill O’Brien challenged for possible pass interference, the call went to NFL senior vice president of officiating Alberto Riveron, who makes all the determinations on challenges and booth reviews. Ultimately, Riveron decided there was no pass interference, and it was a turnover on downs.
Criticism of officials often times leads to a fine from the league. It will be interesting to see if there is a FedEx envelope from the league in Hopkins’ locker this week.
