San Francisco’s defense may have to get by without Dre Greenlaw for at least one week after the NFL suspended the 49ers linebacker one game for unsportsmanlike conduct in Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Greenlaw is appealing the punishment, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who cited a source.
The league said in a statement that Greenlaw “used his helmet to headbutt Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who was not wearing a helmet, violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to ‘any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.’”
If the suspension is upheld, Greenlaw will sit out the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup with the Washington Commanders on Monday, Oct. 19.
He would be eligible to return to the active roster on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The incident unfolded in the second quarter of San Francisco’s 32-29 win. Greenlaw was flagged for a personal foul after hitting quarterback Sam Darnold late as Darnold scrambled out of bounds along the Seahawks’ sideline.
That drew a response from several Seattle players, and Greenlaw answered by headbutting Jones. Jones was bleeding after the contact, and Greenlaw was ejected, according to RG.org’s Sunday report.
This is not the first time Greenlaw has run into trouble with the league. He was suspended for one game last season while with the Denver Broncos after berating an official following a win over the New York Giants.
The 29-year-old linebacker has also been ejected at least two other times in his career, including after a sideline altercation with Philadelphia head of security Dom DiSandro in 2023 and for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in 2022. He was also fined $11,941 for taunting the Broncos’ sideline in a win last week.
Greenlaw returned to San Francisco this season after playing for Denver in 2025. Through five games, he has 37 tackles.
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