The San Francisco 49ers celebrate a statement victory at the Philadelphia Eagles. Emotions ran high in the third quarter in the rematch of the NFC Championship Game. After a scuffle, Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw and even the Eagles’ security chief were ejected.
With 9:27 minutes left to play in the third quarter between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers, Niners professional Dre Greenlaw tackled Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith near the Philly sideline. The defensive player quickly grabbed the opponent and threw him to the ground. He received a flag and an “Unnecessary Roughness” call for the action.
But it did not stop.
“Big Dom” has to come down
Eagles players and staff quickly reached out to Greenlaw and verbally told him how little they thought of the move. A brief scuffle ensued, in the middle of which was long-time Eagles safety Dom DiSandro, who approached Greenlaw after the tackle and then received the 49ers player’s arm in the face.
Both Greenlaw and DiSandro then had to leave the field. Greenlaw walked into the catacombs to boos from Eagles fans, while DiSandro was sent off to applause from Licoln Financial Field. According to his official job description, DiSandro, nicknamed “Big Dom,” is “responsible for the safety of players, coaches and executives.” The security chief also works as an advisor to the Eagles’ general manager.
When the referees announced Greenlaw’s ejection, Niners Head Coach Shahanan stormed angrily towards the referees and argued wildly.
Shanahan: “Can’t believe it”
Shanahan explained his emotions on the PK after the game: “I didn’t see everything. I can’t believe that someone who isn’t involved in the game can taunt our players and put their hand in a player’s face. And what I heard “Dre did the same thing to him and caught him in the face a little bit and got ejected because of it. But it was a very frustrating play.”
So an advantage for Philly? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that. The hosts scored shortly afterwards with a touchdown and reduced the lead to 13:21. But shortly afterwards the guests pulled away and gave the Eagles a 42:19 defeat.
At least there was a fair play gesture among the coaches after the game ended. There was a handshake between Shanahan and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni at the center circle. Sirianni could be heard on TV saying “I wanted to apologize” to his counterpart.
“He was great,” Shanahan said afterwards about the brief encounter. Sirianni wasn’t a fan of the scene either and handled it with “great class”.