San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan got a word in with linebacker Dre Greenlaw before his ejection over an altercation in Week 13.
Greenlaw got in a scuffle with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith after play in the third quarter, and Eagles security staff lead Dom DiSandro joined in. Both Greenlaw and DiSandro got ejected during the third quarter incident.
Tempers are flaring between the 49ers and Eagles in Philly.
“Yeah, I talked to him before he left the field very quickly, and then I talked to him a little bit after the game,” Shanahan told reporters on Monday. “I heard it all and then saw it all and it looked like he told me.”
Greenlaw’s absence didn’t thwart the 49ers in a 42-19 win, but the Niners losing a player versus the Eagles losing a staff member created a stir. USA Today’s Jarrett Bell called it an “unjustifiable call” against the Niners, for instance.
“Greenlaw was punished for [a] portion of the incident that never should have occurred — a non-player on the sideline who had the audacity to interject himself into the situation and put his hands on a player from the opposing team,” Bell wrote.
Kyle Shanahan Revisits Referee’s Call
Shanahan addresses his thoughts on the referee’s call again on Monday.
“No, I haven’t heard anything. I mean, my thoughts are pretty much the same as yesterday,” Shanahan said. “It was hard to accept Dre Greenlaw getting kicked out of that game for something that didn’t involve someone that had to do with that game.”
“But, I definitely don’t have any hard feelings towards Dom or anything like that. I don’t want anyone to go too hard on him,” Shanahan added. “I think he just got caught in a weird situation and an emotional situation. So, no hard feelings towards him. I know a lot of people who know him and speak very highly of him. I just couldn’t believe we lost our player because of it.”
Kyle Shanahan: It’s Just Guys Shouldn’t be Around That Area’
Shanahan certainly hasn’t heard the last of it since Sunday’s win, which he admitted. However, he clarified that he’s only received texts from 49ers staff “who’ve been in Philly” regarding the incident.
“We have coaches and players who have played there and coached there,” Shanahan said. “I don’t know him personally, but I just don’t think it was that big of a deal. Just sometimes you’re in areas you shouldn’t be in and you get close to a player.”
“I just was upset our player got suspended over someone that happened to be kicked out of a big game,” Shanahan continued. “But I don’t think there’s nothing that he did extraordinarily bad. It’s just guys shouldn’t be around that area and that’s something that I don’t think was totally fair to our player.”
“It wasn’t anything personal against him. Stuff happens. I’m sure he regrets that. But I hear he does a hell of a job for that organization and people speak very highly of him as a dude,” Shanahan concluded regarding DiSandro.
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49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Reveals What He Told Dre Greenlaw After Ejection