NFL Officials Share Explanation for Dre Greenlaw Ejection

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected on Sunday after a hard collision with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Not only did Greenlaw draw a penalty for unnecessary roughness on the hit, but after some deliberation, he was ejected from the game.

San Francisco ultimately prevailed with a hard-fought 22-16 victory in Week 10, but the team still wanted answers for Greenlaw's ejection. Head coach Kyle Shanahan actually told reporters the ejection "blew [his] mind."

The league released information on their decision following the game.

According to NFL SVP of Officiating Walt Anderson, Greenlaw's ejection was not decided by the crew on the field. Instead, this decision came from the main officiating office in New York.

Anderson explained his staff believed the hit was "flagrant" because "the timing, the manner in which the player had an opportunity to make other choices and to make a different decision," resulted in this "flagrant" distinction.

It was also revealed the crew believed Herbert was down after the initial tackle from Jimmie Ward. They determined Greenlaw's hit came after Herbert was already called down. Anderson dismissed any notion the ejection was only because this hit came on a quarterback as opposed to other position players.

Below is a clip of the hit. Decide for yourselves.

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