49ers LB Dre Greenlaw Breaks Silence on Scuffle, Ejection vs. Eagles

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw talked to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since his sideline altercation against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.

Greenlaw took down Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith before Eagles security lead Dom DiSandro intervened as he went after Greenlaw. Both DiSandro and Greenlaw got ejected.

“When I was throwing [Smith],  I felt myself ease up because he was kind of light. I’m just trying to get him down. I tried to ease up a little bit, but was I surprised a flag was thrown? Probably not,” Greenlaw told the media about Smith.

As for scuffling with DiSandro, Greenlaw said “I did not know” he was a security staff member. Greenlaw also voiced his thoughts on the ejection.

“No, I felt like I shouldn’t have been ejected, but I can’t go back and say anything about it now. They did their job,” Greenlaw said.

Despite the ejection, Greenlaw told reporters that the NFL hasn’t contacted him regarding the incident for further penalties. As for DiSandro, Greenlaw said they apologized but not directly.

“No text, just a verbal apology between John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan,” Greenlaw said.

Greenlaw confirmed he also received an apology indirectly from DiSandro through team staff.

“He seemed like a genuine guy. He seemed like a guy everyone loved in the building. So I hate that it even escalated and went to that,” Greenlaw said.

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Dre Greenlaw Intends to Continue Aggressive Play

Though his aggressiveness cut his game short, Greenlaw doesn’t want to change his style too much. Greenlaw has been playing in the NFL for the 49ers since 2019.

“It’s a fine line. You just have to be smart about controlling it. It’s hard, but I’ll find a way. Just have to be better in those situations. Don’t want to hurt the team. It definitely could be avoided. I’m not too gone when I play,” Greenlaw said.

Part of it stems from how impacts his teammates, sparking more energy for the defense. Shanahan calls Greenlaw the team’s “enforcer”.

“And I do myself. It’s just playing ball. We’re trying to play physical and have fun while we’re doing it” Greenlaw added.

He also said that he doesn’t want a label from what happened in Philadelphia. With that said, Greenlaw has eight unnecessary roughness penalties and two ejections in his past 33 games according to the Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski.

“I ain’t no dirty player. I play by the rules. Just because you tackle a little physical doesn’t make you a dirty player,” Greenlaw said.

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Mike Florio Challenges Dre Greenlaw Ejection

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes the NFL got it wrong with Greenlaw’s ejection in Week 13.

Florio highlighted NFL Rule 13, Section 3, Article 1 from the league rulebook regarding ejections. The rule outlines physical violence and abusive language toward a player, league representative, or game official as violations that lead to an ejection.

“Nothing in the rule addresses situations in which a player reacts to physical contact initiated by a non-opponent, non-teammate, non-official, or non-representative of the league. Greenlaw reacted to someone other than an official or a player to place hands on him. He didn’t punch DiSandro; Greenlaw barely touched him,” Florio wrote.

“How was that a flagrant violation of the unsportsmanlike conduct rule? How does that justify ejection?,” Florio continued.

Since the 49ers won 49-19, Florio noted the NFL avoided a big mistake had the game turned out different with Greenlaw out of the game.

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