49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan calls out Eagles chief of security Dom DiSandro

The San Francisco 49ers playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field was one of the most anticipated games in Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season. But even after the Niners claimed a massive win in the City of Brotherly Love, the game itself was overshadowed by a sideline scuffle.

In the third quarter of the game, 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Eagles chief of security Dom DiSandro were involved in an incident that ended up with both of them getting ejected of the game.

Greenlaw was seen putting his hand in DiSandro’s face, while the Eagles staffer was accused of contributing to the escalation of the argument. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan later called out “Big Dom” for his role in this incident.

“I just can’t believe someone uninvolved in a football game can taunt our players like that and put their hands in our guy’s face,” Shanahan said, via CBS Sports. “From what I was told, Dre did it back to him and I was told that he mashed him in the face a little bit, so he got ejected. It was a very frustrating play. I got to watch it to have a true opinion on it. I love how we rallied after.”

Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers exchanges words with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Dom DiSandro at Lincoln Financial Field on December 03, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Nick Sirianni addresses the situation

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni talked about this controversial situation during his press conference on Monday. He admitted offering an apology to Shanahan during their post-game talk, but also claimed DiSandro didn’t intend to escalate the argument.

“Dom is as good as they get in this business,” Sirianni said. “I’m so thankful for him. He is always going to try to defuse situations. That’s what he does, that’s his job. Obviously, unfortunate yesterday. I know in Dom’s heart he truly was trying to defuse the situation right there. I am sad it came to what it came to that anybody got thrown out of the game.”

The Eagles were handed their second loss of the season by a merciless 49ers’ offense, so they probably have bigger things to take care of rather than this incident. But Pro Football Talk reports that the league could fine the Eagles or DiSandro this week.

What’s next for 49ers, Eagles

With this 42-19 win, the Niners have reduced the distance with the Eagles to try and grab the top seed in the NFC. At 9-3, the NFC West leaders head into their upcoming home game against the Seahawks in high spirits.

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The 10-2 Eagles, on the other hand, hope to bounce back when they play the Dallas Cowboys (9-3) on the road. Since the NFC East could be up for grabs, this will be a must-win for Jalen Hurts and company.