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Colts WR Alec Pierce ejected for bumping NFL official vs. Texans

by: Alex Byington01/04/26_AlexByington

Indianapolis Colts receiver Alec Pierce was ejected after accidentally bumping an NFL official while arguing he was forced out of bounds on a potential touchdown catch late in the third quarter of Sunday’s Week 18 game against the Houston Texans. Pierce later apologized to the sideline official as he made his way off the field and to the visiting locker room inside Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Pierce attempted to haul in a touchdown pass from Colts quarterback Riley Leonard with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter when Texans cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram pushed Pierce out of the back of the end zone before he could get two feet in bounds. When the sideline judge ruled the catch incomplete, Pierce immediately jumped up and attempted to argue his case and accidentally bumped shoulders with the official, prompting an immediate flag and subsequent ejection from the game.

Check out the incident here:

The ejection came amid an impressive game for Pierce, who had already hauled in a pair of touchdowns from Leonard, as he finished with four catches for 132 yards through three quarters of play Sunday. Following a 15-yard penalty and loss of down, the Colts closed out the third quarter with a 39-yard field goal from kicker Blake Grupe.

CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore explained the situation on the broadcast.

“Look, it’s not a lot of contact, but we’re very strict about any contact with an official,” Steratore said Sunday on the CBS broadcast. “They more than likely had that discussion about whether to eject (Pierce) or not on the field and made the decision there. … It’s pretty much 100-percent (an ejection), not much to talk about.”

The CBS broadcast identified the official Pierce made contact with as field judge Jabir Walker while Colts head coach Shane Steichen attempted to argue for leniency given it was only an incidental bump, but Steratore made it clear any direct contact with an official requires an immediate ejection.

“As an official, you just want to kind of hold your ground there, and yes (Pierce) was just talking,” Steratore added, “but from the other standpoint, just talk to me from a different space so we don’t have to split a hair here and make that discussion (about ejecting the player).”