One day later, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains upset that linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected from Sunday’s game because of an altercation with a Philadelphia Eagles staff member.
But Shanahan also said he hopes Dom DiSandro, the Eagles’ chief security officer, does not face any major punishment for his actions.
“It’s hard to accept Dre getting kicked out of that game for something that didn’t involve someone who had to do with that game,” Shanahan said Monday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
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“But I definitely don’t have any hard feelings toward Dom or anything like that. I don’t want anyone to go too hard on him.”
In the third quarter of the 49ers’ 42-19 victory Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, Greenlaw grabbed Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith around the waist and flung him hard to the ground along the Philadelphia sideline.
DiSandro moved in, had words for Greenlaw, and appeared to shove Greenlaw in the chest with his left hand. Greenlaw responded with a swipe with his left fist that grazed DiSandro’s face.
San Francisco 49ers
“I think he got caught in a weird situation, an emotional situation,” Shanahan said of DiSandro. “So, no hard feelings toward him. I know a lot of people who know him and speak very highly of him.”
As a result of the incident, Greenlaw was ejected from the game, and DiSandro was removed from the Eagles sideline.
Shanahan said he spoke with individuals with the 49ers who know DiSandro from coaching or playing in Philadelphia. DiSandro has been with the Eagles organization for 25 seasons.
“I don’t know him personally,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think it was that big of a deal. Sometimes you’re in areas you shouldn’t be in, and you get close to a player, and I was just upset our player got (ejected) over something and got kicked out of a big game.”
Shanahan said he did not believe DiSandro did anything “extraordinarily bad.”
But DiSandro’s involvement escalated the situation, and the Eagles benefited from Greenlaw being disqualified with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
“It’s just guys shouldn’t be around that area,” Shanahan said. “That’s something that I didn’t think was totally fair to our player.
“Stuff happens. I’m sure he [DiSandro] regrets that. But I hear he does a hell of a job for that organization, and people speak very highly of him.”
General manager John Lynch reportedly met with DiSandro after Sunday's game, and the conversation between the two ended on a good note.