San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle after a sideline collision escalated into a headbutt, and the incident now heads to the NFL league office for possible discipline.
Greenlaw hit Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold as Darnold ran out of bounds along the Seahawks sideline during the second quarter. The contact drew a personal foul flag. Because the play carried Greenlaw fully into Seattle’s bench area, he was quickly surrounded by Seahawks players.
Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones confronted Greenlaw in the scrum. Jones was not wearing his helmet at the time; Greenlaw was. Greenlaw then headbutted Jones. Television cameras later showed Jones wiping his face with a towel, revealing an apparent cut from the headbutt. Greenlaw was ejected from the game shortly after.
What Comes Next
Under NFL Operations guidelines, the league office reviews incidents like this after the game and can issue a fine, a warning, or a suspension depending on the severity of the conduct. A suspension is a separate disciplinary action from an in-game ejection and is reserved for behavior the league determines to be “conduct detrimental to the League” or a serious violation of player safety rules. That determination is made case by case by the NFL’s disciplinary officers.
A Pattern of Sideline Incidents
Greenlaw has drawn league discipline before. After a 33-32 win over the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2025 season while playing for the Denver Broncos, he chased and verbally threatened referee Brad Allen as the officiating crew left the field. The NFL suspended him for violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which bars abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures directed at game officials.
Last week, Greenlaw was fined $11,941 for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting the Broncos’ sideline and head coach Sean Payton. In 2023, he was ejected following a sideline altercation with then-Philadelphia Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro, another incident that unfolded along an opposing team’s sideline.
The NFL has not yet announced whether Greenlaw will face further discipline for Sunday’s headbutt.
