Kevin O’Connell told T.J. Hockenson to ‘go down’ when he was limping off the field

Amidst an era where everything is seen as a conspiracy and controversy, the actions of Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell caught the attention of ESPN’s cameras. O’Connell was observed instructing his tight end to “go down,” essentially giving the Vikings a timeout. The anticipation of what would unfold next was palpable.

Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson, a key offensive player for the team, especially while Justin Jefferson was sidelined, hobbled off the field after a play in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers.

It was in that moment that O’Connell vocally conveyed the message to Hockenson to take a fall. There was no attempt to conceal it; his words were audible as he yelled at his tight end on the field.

At that juncture, the Vikings had just gained an impressive 30 yards, placing them on the 49ers’ 2-yard line. Hockenson, known for his prowess in the red zone, was a vital asset that the team did not want sidelined on first-and-goal. If the Vikings had any intention of cheating at that point—which seemed unlikely as there was no need to stop the clock in that situation—they would have instructed a lesser player to feign an injury and refrained from shouting instructions from the sidelines.

It has become customary for football sidelines to advise a player to go down when they are struggling to leave the field. This permits the trainers to attend to them and offers the team a brief respite for substitutions. Furthermore, when there is a stoppage, the injured player must sit out at least one play. While some may perceive it as unsportsmanlike to instruct a player to go down instead of letting them struggle to exit the field with an injury, it is quite common and not considered cheating.

However, when Hockenson went down once again in the second half, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman couldn’t resist making jokes.

While it may defy logic to believe that the Vikings strategically decided to cheat by telling a player to fake an injury in that particular moment, conspiracy theories are undeniably entertaining. As expected, social media went into a frenzy over the incident. That wraps up this controversy, until the next trivial matter is blown out of proportion. Fortunately, this time it had nothing to do with the NFL supposedly rigging games because of Taylor Swift.