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Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught his first touchdown pass as a Kansas City Chief on Monday night during a game against the Tampa Bay Bucs. He immediately went into a celebration dance which many viewed as shade towards his former team.
Hopkins clarified on the situation Tuesday after picking up a win. He holds no ill-will towards the Tennessee Titans!
The play came in the first half of action, and it helped the Chiefs grab an early 10-7 lead. Patrick Mahomes found his new teammate in the back of the endzone as Hopkins slipped past the Tampa Bay secondary.
He then hit a Remember the Titans celly to commemorate the moment.
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Some saw it as a shot to the team that recently traded him for a mid-round draft pick.
DeAndre Hopkins ensured that it wasn’t!
He posted on his X timeline Tuesday morning to say that he has “nothing but love” for his old squad.
It was a shout to Tennessee, if u know me u know it’s nothing but love for Nashville. Ran and his crew are like family. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.
-DeAndre Hopkins / X: @DeAndreHopkins
The reason many might’ve viewed the celebration as shade is due to comments made after his exit from Nashville. While he didn’t directly bad-mouth the Titans upon arriving in Kansas City, he did take an inadvertent shot in his introductory press conference.
“I haven’t played meaningful football in a couple of years.”
-DeAndre Hopkins after being traded from Tennessee
He won’t have that issue with his new squad.
The Chiefs picked up a Monday Night Football win to improve to a perfect 8-0 on the season. DeAndre Hopkins hauled in two touchdowns in the overtime victory while racking up eight catches for 86 yards.