The San Francisco 49ers will be entering the field against the Washington Commanders in a Week 6 clash without their linebacker Dre Greenlaw, as the NFL upheld his one-game suspension for head-butting Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. And the team is now looking at the rookie LB Jaden Dugger to fill the gap.
During the second quarter of the 49ers' game on Sunday, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold scrambled out of bounds, but Greenlaw hit him late, which led to a personal foul for unnecessary roughness. Soon, Greenlaw found himself surrounded by several Seattle defenders confronting him. In the heat of the moment, Greenlaw head-butted Jones, who was not wearing a helmet and started bleeding.
The San Francisco LB was ejected from the field, and although his team eventually won the game 32-29, Greenlaw's actions created a big problem for them as they head into their Week 6 game. The NFL suspended Greenlaw for one game without pay.
Shanahan acknowledged that they should have handled the situation better, but he and the team were hoping the appeal would work.
"I was told that there's an appeal process tomorrow," Shanahan said on Monday. "I mean, I was also told a couple hours ago that he was suspended, so I'm assuming he is. Hopefully the appeal process can go better tomorrow, and we can get it rescinded, but I've got to wait to see how that goes."
But as we know, it didn't. The NFL announced on Tuesday that the suspension would be upheld. Since Greenlaw isn't eligible to participate in the upcoming Monday Night Football game, the team's obvious choice is Dugger. He did a great job stepping up in Greenlaw's shoes on Sunday, helping the team secure the win, and Shanahan appreciated both his and the team's efforts after Greenlaw was ejected.
"Losing a great player and just emotionally our team feels him, for our guys not to waver at all, Dugger did a great job stepping it up," Shanahan said. "It was huge."
Greenlaw will be eligible to take the field again in Week 7, when the 49ers take on the Atlanta Falcons . But the team currently has its eyes fixed on its next opponent, the Commanders, whom they'll be hosting this MNF. And it will be interesting to see if the rookie steps in at weakside linebacker and fills the gap left by Greenlaw, as he did on Sunday.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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