Following Monday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward had some harsh comments about wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
"He was getting locked up. He was doing some dirty things," Ward said after the game. "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."
That last part is a jab regarding Hopkins' earlier six-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Hopkins spoke with reporters on Friday and had an opportunity to respond to Ward's criticisms.
"Obviously, that was very personal," Hopkins said via Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban. "When a young guy like that says something like that ... it's a lot of talk. To me, it's laughable. It's funny."
#AZCardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins, when I asked about the comments about Hop by #49ers DB Charvarius Ward:
"Obviously that was very personal. When a young guy like that says something like that ... it's a lot of talk. To me it's laughable. It's funny."
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) November 25, 2022
The 49ers and Cardinals will meet again in Week 18 at Levi's Stadium. Thanks to this week's comments, the Ward-Hopkins matchup in that game should be intriguing to watch.