Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said Wednesday that he apologized to Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow after a questionable hit in Monday’s loss.
Early in the second quarter, Renfrow ran a route near the sideline and decelerated as he approached Humphrey. Humphrey struck Renfrow above the numbers, knocking him off his feet and to the Allegiant Stadium grass. The hit was not penalized.
Humphrey said he thought quarterback Derek Carr was out of the pocket, meaning he’d become a potential runner. Under NFL rules, if a quarterback “demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball,” a defensive player is “permitted to use his hands, arms, or body to push, pull or ward off an offensive receiver.”
“I apologized to [Renfrow] on the field,” Humphrey said. “But, yeah, that was a play I wish I could take back.”
Humphrey’s comments came just hours after The Athletic reported that the Raiders had filed a complaint with the NFL about allegedly dirty hits on Renfrow in Monday’s game. Inside linebacker Patrick Queen was penalized for unnecessary roughness late in the second quarter for a hit on Renfrow.
Renfrow told reporters Wednesday that he “didn’t notice anything different from any other game.” He finished with six catches on nine targets for 70 yards.