Getty Jimmie Ward #1 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after intercepting a pass in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California.
The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams do not like each other very much, and that showed in the NFC Championship.
If moments like Rams star Aaron Donald saying he doesn’t know who 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel wasn’t a sign of the current state of the rivalry, the on-field play at SoFi Stadium on January 30 made it clear that the tension between the two sides is very real.
Now, the Friday following the Niners’ 20-17 loss to the Rams, the NFL is doling out the penalties for a hard-hitting game. On the 49ers side, safety Jimmie Ward was hit with a $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
“The NFL fined #49ers DB Jimmie Ward $20,000 for unnecessary roughness,” NFL media insider Tom Pelissero Tweeted. “A helmet-to-helmet hit against Odell Beckham Jr. — while #Rams WR Ben Skowronek was fined $4,000 for another hit in the NFC Championship Game.”
Besides Ward and Skowronek’s fines, Rams star Jalen Ramsey received a $15,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct towards refs, which included throwing his helmet.
However, one player that notably didn’t receive a fine was linebacker Fred Warner, who received a lot of flak for his cheap shot on Rams QB Matt Stafford.
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Warner Pops Stafford
During the second drive of the game for the Rams offense, Stafford and the team were moving the ball down the field. However, despite being just outside of the endzone, they couldn’t score as Stafford threw a pick to Ward in the endzone.
After he threw the pass, Warner came up from behind Stafford and looked to headbutt the veteran QB.
Super dirty hit by Fred Warner on Stafford
#SFvsLAR
Somehow, the hit went unnoticed by the refs and no flag was thrown. Rams fans and neutral viewers came after Warner online after the hit, but the linebacker did apologize in his post-game comments.
“I wanted to address my hit on Stafford after Jimmie’s interception,” Warner said on January 30. “You guys watched me for a long time and I never do anything out of malicious intent. I watched the video, and it looks bad. There was a lot of things going on after the play. I was in pursuit of Jimmy and he was just in my way and I made the hit. Looking back on it, I feel bad about it and you guys know that’s not the type of player I am, so I apologize for that.”
49ers, Rams Legends Clash
When the Rams’ infamous NFC Championship ticket plan was unveiled, Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth’s wife and other members of the Los Angeles fanbase called for Rams fans to not sell their tickets to 49ers fans attempting to flood SoFi Stadium.
49ers legend Joe Staley noticed and made a comedic Tweet trolling the initial post from Whitworth’s wife, with both Tweets since being deleted.
Whitworth responded after the NFC Championship with a tense call out, but has since deleted the post as well.
“My guys who have played the @nfl game,” Whitworth began. “Been in the trenches. Could you imagine trying to troll another players wife,” Whitworth posted Monday. “When you not even a player anymore? Having 49ers fans troll her all week. Sending her nasty crap. (Used) to respect this guy… Embarrassing for our game. 49ers fans can say anything they want ! Y’all can buy all the tickets you want to the super bowl! I would hope a legend of the game would leave a players wife out of it. Attack the woman tough guy! I’ll address that at a later date!”
Obviously, Whitworth wasn’t happy. That being said, Whitworth’s wife has since gone on Twitter telling fans to calm down and that the situation has been addressed.