The divisional matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks was certainly a highlight of Week 5, as two of the strongest teams in the league faced each other. But by the second quarter, 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw grabbed the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, resulting in the officials ejecting him for the remainder of the game.
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Per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, “49ers LB Dre Greenlaw was ejected for headbutting Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. The decision came under a new rule that allows officials to eject players for non-football acts even if they are not flagged.”
The incident occurred in the second quarter of the matchup. With approximately six minutes remaining in the first half, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold scrambled toward the sideline. Greenlaw continued into him and delivered an additional shove after Darnold had crossed out of bounds.
Officials flagged Greenlaw for a personal foul for the late hit, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. Several Seattle defenders immediately approached Greenlaw, apparently reacting to the hit on Darnold. Ernest Jones IV was among the players involved.
Jones, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, confronted Greenlaw and pushed at his facemask. However, the 49ers linebacker responded by driving his helmeted head into Jones. Per reports, Jones was left bleeding after the contact. As that happened, officials disqualified Greenlaw, who was escorted to the locker room.
The officials’ decision came after another controversial week for Dre Greenlaw. After San Francisco’s win over the Denver Broncos last week, Greenlaw directed profanity at Denver head coach Sean Payton. The league fined him $11,941 for taunting and offensive language toward the Denver sideline.
He later revealed that he was upset that Payton had not personally informed him of his release from Denver earlier in the year.
“I told him to get the f–k off the field. That’s it: ‘Get the f–k off the field,” he told the reporters. “…The disrespect. He couldn’t be man-to-man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.”
But certainly, this season isn’t the only instance when Dre Greenlaw has faced criticism for his on-field confrontations. He was ejected after a sideline altercation with Philadelphia Eagles security chief Don DiSandro in 2023 and was also disqualified for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Justin Herbert in 2022.
While the league has already fined him once this season, it remains to be seen whether he’ll face another disciplinary action.