San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward took a bit of a cheap shot at Arizona Cardinals star wideout DeAndre Hopkins following Monday night’s tense matchup in Mexico City.
Why Did Charvarius Ward Call Deandre Hopkins “Steroid Boy”?
Hopkins had nine nifty grabs for 93 yards against San Francisco’s vaunted coverage. It was chippy throughout. The two players had their share of verbal fisticuffs throughout the game but following the game Ward’s frustration was visible, and he took some personal shots at D-Hop’s character.
“D-Hop thinks he’s a tough guy,” Ward chirped to reporters. “He thinks he’s still one of the best receivers in the league, and he really not.”
Ward continued to cook.
“He was getting locked up. He was doing the some dirty things. He tried to clip me, he grabbed me by the throat. He grabbed my facemask on one play, so I don’t respect his game, that’s steroid boy.”
The “steroid boy” comment is in reference to Hopkins’ six-game suspension served at the beginning of the season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Ward’s comments were a tad below the belt, especially in the spirit of competition.
Hopkins Has Consistently Denied Knowingly Taking PEDs
Hopkins vehemently denied that he knowingly ingested any unsanctioned substances, but the league has a strict policy, so he didn’t have much wriggle room. In July, Hopkins reiterated to reporters that he did nothing wrong and didn’t believe he should’ve been suspended for having a trace of Ostarine, a banned substance by the league.
“I’ve never taken any of that kind of stuff. If you know about what it is, it can be in shampoo, it can be in a lot of different things. Obviously, the NFL is very black-and-white, so, of course, I wish the rule wasn’t so black-and-white. It is what it is. It’s hard to know when something gets contaminated at a trace amount when you’re not working at the manufacturing company.”
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Will DeAndre Hopkins PED Suspension Keep Him Out Of Hall of Fame?
Hopkins recently expressed his concern over how the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee looks at suspensions for PEDs and if they’ll hold that against him when that time comes. In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Hopkins said this:
“I’d just hate for anything to happen. I can’t go back on it. But it was definitely something that if you know me, I’ve never taken anything and I’ll go to my grave with that, knowing I’ve never taken anything.”
Hopkins definitely has the HOF numbers, but this hiccup could hinder him from being inducted into Canton. He has the support of at least one future Hall of Famer in Cardinals legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
But that’s still no reason for Ward, a solid player in his own right, to use this against Hopkins. It was dirty pool, and it shows that despite getting smoked 38-10, D-Hop was definitely getting under Ward’s skin.
