SEATTLE — Kyle Shanahan’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Sunday might not be the best example set by an NFL head coach, but his players respect him for it.
Game officials made several questionable calls during the 49ers' 43-16 loss to the Seahawks. Jeff Wilson’s fumble, pass interference, illegal contact -- you name it, it happened. San Francisco ended the day with a whopping 13 penalties for 128 yards, although Seattle also was hit for 10 infractions for 100 yards.
Late in the third quarter, the 49ers were called for defensive offside. The ball appeared to be set by the referees early, and the 49ers weren't able to get their subs on and off the field before the Seahawks snapped it.
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SIGN UP HERE When the center hiked the ball, there still was 19 seconds left on the play clock and Elijah Lee was running on to the field from the sideline, across side of the line of scrimmage.
Shanahan had had enough. As the line judge came back toward him, the 49ers coach appeared to say, “Are you serious?” In a later clip, Shanahan -- still not happy with the situation -- yelled at the line judge closest to him, “Call the f****** game!”
The referee’s reply couldn't be seen, as he was facing away from the camera, but Shanahan wasn't satisfied with the answer and replied, “F*** you.”
Cue the flag, and a 15-yard penalty.
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When asked about what had made him so emotional in that moment, Shanahan expressed remorse for his actions.
“There were a number of things that added up, that were building up,” Shanahan said. “I made a dumb mistake and said something I shouldn’t have. It won’t happen again.”
Several players weren't surprised by Shanahan’s behavior, though. They actually appreciated his enthusiasm and the fact he will stand up and fight for them, even in a season gone wrong.
Rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis explained it shows the team that Shanahan is behind them 100 percent.
“We like it,” Pettis said. “It sucks that it happens and you get penalized for it, but we like that he shows his passion. We know he loves this game and that he’s going to have our backs no matter what. We love to see it.”
Kendrick Bourne also was frustrated by what he termed "suspect calls" and appreciated Shanahan standing up for his team.
“It just shows that he knows how we feel when they are making calls like that," the wide receiver said.
Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon said seeing Shanahan like that makes him more enthusiastic.
“His energy,” Witherspoon said, “we feed off of it. Let’s all get it. Turns me up.”
Mike McGlinchey explained anyone on the team could have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after what happened in the game.
“He’s a coach that’s fighting for us,” the rookie offensive tackle said. “Fighting for what he believes in. I think he was lucky that he was the only one. There were a lot of other times today when a lot of us could have gotten things like that.
“There were certainly some frustrating calls out there with a lot of them, but that’s the way football is sometimes. Seattle has home-field advantage there, and today, they had the home field advantage with some calls.”
McGlinchey added that he’s definitely not surprised by Shanahan’s fire.
“It’s not something that Kyle has hidden from us,” McGlinchey said. “That’s the way he is. He’s always that way. He’s as tough as a competitor as we all are. He competes every single day he comes into work, too.
“It’s not something that’s surprising to us. It definitely, when you have your coach fighting for you, making a scene, you know, it gives you a little energy.”
George Kittle, the 49ers' star tight end, explained simply: “It fires me up!”
Shanahan and Co. will need that fire with four games left in an otherwise lost 2-10 season.