Sunday’s ejection of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw came not at the request of on-field officials, but at the request of the league office.
In a pool report following the 49ers’ win Sunday against the Seahawks, NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth explained that Greenlaw was sent to the showers via a message sent from 345 Park Avenue.
“The clubs adopted a rule this year that (Art McNally Gameday Central in New York) can actually eject a player even if there is no flag on the field for the action,” Butterworth told ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “But in this case, there was a flag on the field. When they went to the sideline, the player in question actually head-butted an unhelmeted player on the sideline. We follow a very specific process. (NFL Executive VP of Football Operations) Troy Vincent let us know that the player had been ejected, so I contacted the field to inform them that No. 57 had been ejected from the game for a non-football-related act.”
The next question is whether Greenlaw will be suspended for this offense. The NFL will review the situation on Monday and make a decision.
Gn sports
