Kyle Shanahan claims Dre Greenlaw ejection was bizarre after 49ers LB’s nasty helmet hit on Justin Herbert
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 on Sunday night, but that wasn't the biggest takeaway from the game. In the first half, 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and was subsequently ejected from the game because of that hit.
After the game, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan stated that he understood the penalty for unnecessary roughness on Greenlaw. However, Shanahan asserts that the ejection of Greenlaw was a shock to him.
He said:
“It kind of actually blew my mind,” “I understand the penalty. I totally get that right at the third down marker, he was lowering his shoulder, but I have got to learn what that is. I get how it is with penalties and stuff because I think he did hit his helmet . . . but I thought there had to be intent and something unnecessary, and that was a big play right there."
Shanahan added:
"For us to lose Greenlaw for the whole game off that, that really shocked me. So, hopefully they can teach us that so we can understand why we lost one of our players.”
Herbert didn't play for the rest of the first half but returned for the second half of the game.
Why the San Francisco 49ers LB was ejected according to head of NFL officiating
Following the game, Walt Anderson, NFL Senior VP of Officiating, said that Justin Herbert was already ruled down and that officials in the game also felt the actions taken by Greenlaw in tackling Herbert were "flagrant in nature."
Senior VP of Officiating Walt Anderson on Dre Greenlaw:
“The runner was a downed runner. He was already down by contact. ... If he had other choices in terms of his actions, we felt like the actions he took were flagrant in nature and that was the reason for disqualification.”
Many fans sounded off after Greenlaw's ejection
The "flagrant" aspect of the rule created a stir on Twitter after Greenlaw's ejection. Many fans contend that Greenlaw was simply attempting to make a tackle on a runner when Herbert started to go down, falling into helmet-to-helmet contact.
Here are a few reactions to the San Francisco 49ers linebacker's ejection:
The resounding opinion - even from Chargers media - seems to be that Dre Greenlaw should not have been ejected.
Horrible call on Greenlaw. Absolute garbage to disqualify a player for a hit on a player with no defenseless protection who was launched forward from a tackle from the other direction.
#49ers LB Dre Greenlaw has been ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Justin Herbert. It was helmet-to-helmet contact but not sure Greenlaw could have done much there as Herbert got hit right into him at the last second.
Overall, the reaction to the ejection wasn't well-received by the fans. Let's see if any discipline is handed down by the NFL to Greenlaw for the hit.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Mike Florio, ESPN, and H/T Sportskeeda.