49ers’ Kyle Shanahan: Dre Greenlaw ejection ‘blew my mind’
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was stunned linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected in the first half of Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It kind of actually blew my mind,” Shanahan said of the controversial decision after the 22-16 victory, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “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. 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.”
Late in the first half of the Sunday night contest, Greenlaw delivered a helmet-to-helmet blow on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert but only after Herbert was initially pulled down from behind by safety Jimmie Ward:
