The NFL handed out two fines from the 49ers’ Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Most notably, the league deemed 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson’s controversial penalty did not rise to the level of an offense worthy of a fine.
Gipson was called for unnecessary roughness late in the fourth quarter for a hard hit on Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore. Officials flagged Gipson for unnecessary roughness for delivering a forceful hit on a defenseless player to the neck area.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Replays appeared to show Gipson actually used his shoulder to hit Moore's shoulder.
Instead of the incomplete pass setting up a fourth-and-10 play with the 49ers leading 17-16 in the final minutes, the penalty gave Cleveland a first down.
The Browns eventually moved into position for the game-winning field goal.
Gipson told NBC Sports Bay Area this week he likely would not do anything different under the same exact circumstances.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“There’s not much I really would change, honestly,” Gipson told NBC Sports Bay Area this week. “It’s easy to see on replay when a ball is going slow. I don’t know if he’s going to catch the ball or not. Playing football is all about being reactive.
“I look at the quarterback, then transfer my eyes to the receiver. You don’t know if he’s catching it or not. If I sit there and let him catch the ball and he comes down with it for a first down, I’m looked at like a soft safety, right?”
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks objected to the call, which played a pivotal role in the 49ers’ 19-17 loss to the Browns.
“I know the league is definitely all about the safety of players, and so are we,” Wilks said. “We teach our guys how to lower their target. Personally, I thought it was clean. They called the flag. That's part of the game.”
Two Browns players were fined for unnecessary roughness: safety Juan Thornhill ($12,578) and defensive lineman Za’Darius Smith ($10,927). Smith’s penalty was an unnecessary roughness call for grabbing Christian McCaffrey’s facemask.
The league handed out no fines from the pregame skirmish between the teams, during which Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams mixed it up with several Cleveland players.