Texans Player Shoves Special Teams Coach After Being Penalized

Before you had a chance to get comfy on your couch for the Houston Texans matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, we had major drama unfold.

The Texans traveled to Arrowhead Stadium looking to do two things: secure their first berth in the AFC Championship Game in franchise history, and hand the Chiefs their first loss in the Divisional Round in the Patrick Mahomes era. But that mission got off to a rocky start.

Houston won the coin toss and deferred, then Kansas City return man Nikko Remigio took the opening kick 63 yards (he also fumbled the ball, but the Chiefs recovered). After the play, Houston special teams player Kris Boyd walked towards his sideline and threw his helmet while he was still on the field. That resulted in a 15-yard penalty that brought the ball to the Texans 13, but it got even worse.

After costing his team 15 yards, Boyd compounded the situation by giving special teams coach Frank Ross a forceful two-handed shove as he made his way to the bench.

I’m going to keep my language mild and appropriate and say that behavior was some of the worst I’ve ever seen from a player-coach interaction. In no way, shape, or form is it acceptable for a player to do that to a coach. Boyd should spend the rest of the game on the bench that he was so desperately trying to get back to.

Thankfully for the Texans, the defense held strong and forced Kansas City to a field goal. But they shouldn’t have been in that spot to begin with.