The San Francisco 49ers stayed unbeaten at 5-0 on Sunday, but their linebacker Dre Greenlaw will be watching this week’s game from the sidelines. The NFL suspended Greenlaw for one game without pay on Monday after he headbutted an unhelmeted Seattle Seahawks player during San Francisco’s 32-29 win at Lumen Field.
The flashpoint came with 6:23 left in the second quarter, the 49ers leading 14-10. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold scrambled out of bounds, and Greenlaw’s late hit drew a 15-yard personal foul. Several Seattle defenders then converged on Greenlaw near their own sideline. In the scrum, Greenlaw — still wearing his helmet — headbutted Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who had removed his. Jones was left bleeding, and Greenlaw was ejected.
The ejection call came from the league’s officiating centre in New York, where executive Troy Vincent made the ultimate decision, according to the game’s pool report. League vice-president of instant replay Mark Butterworth later described the headbutt as a “non-football act.” Greenlaw finished with three tackles before leaving. San Francisco held on regardless — Eddy Piñeiro’s 44-yard field goal with 1:56 left sealed the 32-29 victory and the perfect record, NBC Sports reported.
Shanahan: ‘We got to be a lot smarter’
Coach Kyle Shanahan did not defend the behaviour, suggesting Seattle had baited Greenlaw into the confrontation. “You’re going to get baited big time when, especially when you’re on their bench,” Shanahan said. “If that’s exactly what happened, then yeah, we’ve got to be a lot smarter than that. Can’t do that.” Teammate Fred Warner offered a sympathetic view: “He’s all by himself on their sideline… I thought Dre tried for the most part, but it’s just an unfortunate situation.”
A pattern the league keeps noticing
The suspension was issued under Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which covers conduct contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship — and it fits a pattern. Greenlaw has been ejected at least twice before: a 2023 sideline altercation with an Eagles security staffer and a 2022 helmet-to-helmet hit on Justin Herbert. The league said Greenlaw can appeal through hearing officers jointly appointed by the NFL and the players’ union. If the ban stands, he misses the Week 6 Monday-night game against the Washington Commanders on 19 October and becomes eligible to return on 20 October. It caps a turbulent week for the NFL’s stars — from Deion Sanders’ Week 4 struggles to Aaron Rodgers’ reunion game.
