Shanahan discusses sideline skirmish with 49ers: ‘We squashed it’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
He may not have thought it was a big deal at the time, but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan decided he had to address the issue after seeing it become a national topic.
The 49ers’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was only part of the story. One of the highlights that received significant airtime was a brief sideline skirmish involving wide receiver Deebo Samuel and long snapper Taybor Pepper.
Kicker Jake Moody missed his third field goal of the game and Samuel had a few words for the second-year kicker. Pepper objected and Samuel ended up taking a swipe at Pepper.
Shanahan said he spoke with the players involved and several others on the team to put the incident in the rearview mirror.
“We squashed it and we’re doing well,” Shanahan said Monday during a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
“I think it was a bit of an overreaction. You never want Deebo to punch anyone on our own team or anything like that. But Deebo didn’t say anything bad to Jake either, like it sounded.”
Moody missed three field goals but made a 44-yarder as time expired for the 49ers’ 23-20 win over the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
It was after Moody’s third miss – also from 44 yards – that Samuel went onto the field to address Moody.
“Normally I don’t even hit like that, but I’m just frustrated in the heat of the moment,” Samuel told reporters after the match. “Really close game, I’ve gotten into a bit of character, but I’ll talk to Moody and we’ll get over it.”
Shanahan said he had no problem with Samuel’s message to Moody.
“He met him on the field and told him to hold back,” Shanahan said. “It’s the same thing I say to attacking players when they drop a few balls or take a penalty or something like that.
“You never want to sit there and belittle someone or try to embarrass someone. You want to challenge guys that you believe in, and that’s how we talk to each other and tell them to ‘focus’ and ‘lock in’ because we know you can do this.”
Shanahan said that in the heat of the moment, he believes Pepper misinterpreted Samuel’s message to Moody and fired back at Samuel.
“I like Pep’s intention,” Shanahan said. “He’s got his kicker back. But I think he misinterpreted what Deebo did, and he overreacted a bit. Deebo didn’t like that and took him out of his space, and that’s where it ended.
Shanahan said none of the individuals involved would face fines or disciplinary action from the team.
“No,” Shanahan said. “I fine people because they break the rules. These are people who are just football players and deal with things on the sidelines. I actually didn’t find that that important at all.”
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