SEATTLE — San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was disqualified from Sunday’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks after striking an opposing player with his helmet during a heated sideline confrontation in the second quarter.
The altercation began around midfield when Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold scrambled for a five-yard gain on second-and-six. Greenlaw shoved Darnold just as the quarterback took a half-step out of bounds, sending him tumbling directly into the Seattle bench area. Referees quickly flagged the 29-year-old linebacker for unnecessary roughness.
Sideline confrontation turns physical
Darnold’s teammates quickly surrounded Greenlaw near the bench to express their frustration over the late contact. Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who was not wearing a helmet, stepped directly into Greenlaw’s face during the commotion.
Greenlaw reacted by driving his head and facemask forward into Jones’ face. While game officials initially announced only the personal foul for the late hit on Darnold, they paused before making a second announcement disqualifying Greenlaw from the contest. Fox television replays caught Greenlaw demonstrating the motion to fellow linebacker Fred Warner before he walked off into the tunnel without arguing the decision, SFGate reported.
“It was chaos,” Darnold said regarding the sideline clash, according to Yahoo Sports.
The ruling marked an application of a revised policy passed by the league’s competition committee in March. Under the updated guideline, league personnel are permitted to consult with referees to order ejections for both flagrant football maneuvers and non-football conduct even when officials do not flag the specific act on the field.
A history of disciplinary issues
Sunday’s disqualification was the third ejection of Greenlaw’s NFL career. In 2022, referees ejected him following a helmet-to-helmet hit on Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. In 2023, he was thrown out of a contest after an altercation with Philadelphia Eagles security director Dom DiSandro, which also resulted in a league fine.
Last season, while playing a single campaign with the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw drew a one-game suspension for chasing and threatening a game official after a contest ended, SFGate reported. Over 77 career games, the veteran has drawn eight unnecessary roughness penalties along with four personal-foul facemask infractions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Greenlaw had also drawn attention the previous week following San Francisco’s 24-14 victory over Denver. After registering 12 tackles, he confronted Broncos head coach Sean Payton at midfield during postgame handshakes, directing profanities at his former coach over perceived disrespect from the prior season.
Following Greenlaw’s ejection on Sunday, Seattle finished the offensive drive with a field goal. The 49ers were forced to play the rest of the divisional contest without their starting linebacker. It remains unconfirmed whether the NFL will issue further discipline or a suspension to Greenlaw in the coming days.
