Sunday’s ejection of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw came not at the behest of officials on the field, but at the direction of the league office.
In a group report after the 49ers’ Sunday win over the Seahawks, NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth explained that Greenlaw was sent to the showers via a text that was sent from 345 Park Avenue.
“Clubs adopted a rule this year that (Art McNally Gameday Central in New York) can actually eject a player even when there’s not a flag on the field for the action,” Butterworth told ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “But in this case, there was a flag down on the field. When they went to the sideline, the player in question actually headbutted a player without a helmet on the sideline. We have a very specific process that we go through. (NFL executive vice president of football operations) Troy Vincent let us know that the player had been ejected, so I communicated with No. 5 on the field to inform them with No. 5 of 7 that he had been thrown.”
The next question is whether Greenlaw will be suspended for the infraction. The NFL will review the situation Monday and make a decision.
