Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins explains freeway middle finger incident

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was accused of swerving through a Donald Trump freeway parade and giving the middle finger while driving by on the way to State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

Photos on social media emerged of Hopkins in a Ferrari after allegedly weaving through a parade of cars on the freeway.

@DeAndreHopkins
Cutting off a Trump parade in Phx Az pic.twitter.com/CpklXPNwBV

— shalynn chavez (@shalynnchavez) October 25, 2020

It appeared he was wearing the same shirt he was photographed in as he arrived to State Farm Stadium.

All eyes on @DeAndreHopkins. pic.twitter.com/IwLwY0v4tE

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 25, 2020

On Tuesday, Hopkins joined the All Things Covered podcast — which is hosted by former Cardinals corner Bryant McFadden and current corner Patrick Peterson — to discuss the incident.

“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 brakes 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 brakes 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.”

A stretch of cars with Trump flags could be seen along of stretch of freeway from just west of the I-10 and I-17 intersection west of downtown Phoenix and on the 101 northbound leading to State Farm Stadium. At some points, traffic came to a stop on the I-10.

Arizona Sports reached out to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, but AZDPS could not confirm any traffic stops with Hopkins.

The All-Pro receiver caught 10 balls for 103 yards and a score in the Cardinals’ 37-34 OT win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Hopkins leads the NFL with 57 receptions for 704 yards and now has three touchdowns to go along with 12.4 yards per catch this season.

The wideout, who Arizona acquired this offseason in a trade with the Houston Texans, entered the game Sunday as questionable with an ankle injury.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that the injury is lingering, as Hopkins has played through it the past several games. Arizona expects a bye after the Seattle game will allow Hopkins to fully heal.

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