Dre Greenlaw Ejected After Sideline Scuffle Against Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected during the second quarter of the team's Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks after a confrontation with Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV escalated into a headbutt on the sideline. The incident followed Greenlaw's hit on quarterback Sam Darnold at the end of a 5-yard scramble and intensified tensions between the NFC West rivals.

Greenlaw received an unnecessary roughness penalty before Seahawks players surrounded him near their sideline. Jones, who was not wearing a helmet, confronted Greenlaw face-to-face, and Greenlaw pressed his facemask against Jones before Jones pushed back. Jones appeared to be uninjured, according to the source report.

Greenlaw had recorded three combined tackles before his ejection, which came with six minutes remaining before halftime. The 49ers replaced him with Jaden Dugger at weakside linebacker and Luke Gifford at strong linebacker.

The ejection added to Greenlaw's history of disciplinary incidents. It was the third ejection of his career, following incidents against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022.

In the 2023 incident, Greenlaw was removed from a game after a sideline confrontation with Philadelphia's head of security, Dom DiSandro, who was also ejected. In 2022, Greenlaw was ejected for hitting Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the helmet.

Greenlaw also served a one-game suspension last season while playing for the Denver Broncos. The NFL said he had verbally threatened an official after his first game with Denver.

The latest confrontation came one week after Greenlaw received a fine for an outburst toward the sideline following a tackle against Denver, his former team. After that game, Greenlaw yelled at Broncos coach Sean Payton before teammate Fred Warner pulled him away.

Greenlaw had recorded 12 tackles and forced a fumble in that victory over Denver. His emotional intensity had been viewed positively by teammates and coaches following the performance, according to the source report.

The 49ers-Seahawks matchup was not the only NFL game to feature ejections during the opening stretch of Sunday's Week 5 schedule. Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. were also ejected after the opening kickoff of their game in London.

Referee Ron Torbert explained the decision to remove the two players in comments to a pool reporter.

"They were disqualified for continuous non-football actions after the play was over." Ron Torbert, referee, said.

Torbert also said he did not see any punches thrown during the Eagles-Jaguars incident. The separate ejections highlighted a series of disciplinary interruptions during the NFL's Week 5 games.