JJ Watt offered his thoughts on Alec Pierce’s controversial ejection from the season finale duel between Watt’s beloved Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts. The AFC South matchup had a bit of everything, including a decision that many fans dubbed unfair.
Pierce, who had two touchdown catches and was en route to a memorable performance, accidentally bumped field judge Jabir Walker while discussing a call. After being pushed out of bounds by defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram, Pierce stood up. As he approached Walker, his left arm made contact with the referee’s right arm, which led to his ejection.
During a Wednesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” JJ Watt criticized the referees.
“I understand the rules, but man, that ejection was… we gotta, we gotta figure that out,” Watt said. “It was such like, yeah, you throw the flag. That’s fine. But like, I don’t I just that doesn’t have to be an ejection. Are you kidding me, right there? Like, if you showed that video to somebody and said somebody got ejected from this play, they’d be like, All right, where’s the rest of the video? What happened? That’s what got him ejected. Come on.”
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Pierce explained that he didn’t intend to do any harm to the official.
“I thought it was PI,” Pierce said. “I thought it was pass interference, and I was talking to him about that, and then I guess I bumped him.”
Alec Pierce was targeted seven times during the Colts’ 38-30 loss, catching four passes for 132 yards and two scores.
Alec Pierce explains how he would return to the Colts next season
Pierce totaled 47 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. After signing a four-year, $6.6 million rookie deal with the Colts, Pierce’s future is uncertain.
However, he noted that having Daniel Jones as quarterback next season would push him to stay in Indianapolis.
“Oh, it would be huge,” Pierce said. “That would definitely be a big thing for getting me back here is having him here.”
Jones appreciated Pierce’s effort this season, making him his best partner at times. The Colts want to deliver, as CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said on Monday, and keeping Pierce on the roster could be helpful.