The NFL’s handling of two separate discipline cases has left plenty of people scratching their heads, and 49ers insider Matt Maiocco is among them.
San Francisco had been bracing to be without Dre Greenlaw after he head-butted Ernest Jones IV against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. Greenlaw appealed the suspension, though, and the league upheld it.
That outcome drew a sharp comparison to what happened with Rams tackle Alaric Jackson after his altercation with a Buffalo Bills player following their game on Monday Night Football. Jackson initially drew a two-game suspension, but that penalty was reduced to one game.
“49ers LB Dre Greenlaw headbutts a helmetless player on the sideline during a game,” Matt Maiocco of NBCS wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He is disqualified, missing 36 minutes of that game PLUS is suspended for the next game.
On appeal, his suspension was upheld. James Thrash was the hearing officer.
“Rams T Alaric Jackson lands a punch to the face of an opponent long after a game and gets his two- game suspension. It was reduced to one game. Derrick Brooks was the hearing officer.”
There are a few possible reasons the league treated the cases differently. Greenlaw had already missed most of the game after being disqualified, which may have factored into the decision to keep the suspension in place. Jackson’s situation may also have been influenced by his offseason domestic violence situation, though he never faced league consequences for that.
At the heart of both cases, the common thread is unnecessary force directed at another player. The difference is in how it was carried out: Greenlaw used his helmet, while Jackson used his fist. Even then, the league’s logic for the final rulings is still tough to pin down.
The end result is straightforward enough for both teams. Greenlaw will be available for the 49ers’ next game against the Washington Commanders. Jackson will miss the Rams’ next game against the Arizona Cardinals and then return against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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