NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin made an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday morning to discuss the blockbuster trade that sent All Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for "a ham sandwich."
According to Irvin, Hopkins told him that he had met with head coach Bill O'Brien prior to the trade, and that the meeting deteriorated once O'Brien compared Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez. Furthermore, Irvin claims that O'Brien didn't like how Hopkins "has his baby mamas around sometimes."
Says Irvin, "And from there I think the relationship just went bad and thus we got a trade of DeAndre Hopkins from Houston, for basically what I said earlier, a ham sandwich all because of that relationship."
Shortly after Irvin's inflammatory comments went viral, Hopkins jumped on social media to defend his former coach.
"This is being blown way out of proportion. As I’ve said before, I enjoyed and am proud of my time with the Texans. I have the utmost respect for Coach O’Brien and that will not change. Now, I’m ready to play for the Cardinals."
Hopkins, arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, has earned First Team All-Pro honors in each of the last three seasons. He finished with 104 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago, while helping Houston to a 10-6 record and guiding them to their second straight playoff appearance.