Michael Irvin shared valuable insights into the circumstances leading up to the unexpected trade of DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals by head coach Bill O’Brien.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, the hall of fame wide receiver revealed that O’Brien compared Hopkins to former NFL player Aaron Hernandez and brought up his personal life during a meeting.
Irvin recounted, “He told me, he said, ‘Michael, it was a bit of a power struggle there’ because Bill O’Brien thought [Hopkins] had too much influence over the locker room. He called DeAndre Hopkins into a meeting to address this issue. Shockingly, at the start of the meeting, O’Brien mentioned to Hopkins, ‘The last time I had to have a meeting like this, it was with Aaron Hernandez.’ Hopkins was taken aback by the comparison and couldn’t understand why he was equated with Hernandez, who was convicted of murder.”
Irvin continued, “As the meeting progressed, O’Brien criticized Hopkins for having children with multiple women, expressing his disapproval of his ‘baby mamas’ being around. This negative turn in the conversation soured their relationship, ultimately leading to Hopkins being traded for what seemed like very little in return.”
It’s important to note that while Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murder, DeAndre Hopkins has maintained a clean record off the field throughout his career.
This revelation from Irvin sheds light on a concerning aspect of the relationship between O’Brien and Hopkins.
