Dre Greenlaw hits Sam Darnold along Seahawks bench, then chaos and ejection follow with more to come from NFL
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected from Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks and could be subject to a suspension next week because he seemingly lost his poise and composure on the opponent's sideline and bench area.
Greenlaw hit Seattle's Sam Darnold as he was running out of bounds along the Seahawks sideline during the second quarter at Lumen Field. That got him flagged for a personal foul.
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And because the play happened along the Seattle sideline and fully onto their bench area, Greenlaw was immediately surrounded by Seahawks players.
Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones, who has in the past offered a very moving verbal support for Darnold, got in Greenlaw's face.
The thing is, Greenlaw was wearing his helmet and Jones was not.
Greenlaw then headbutted Jones.
FOX NFL's cameras showed Jones using a towel to wipe his face, including an apparent cut caused by Greenlaw's headbutt.
Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) on the sidelines prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
Greenlaw was soon ejected from the game.
And what happens next will be up to the NFL, because there definitely will be more action from the league office.
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According to NFL Operations guidelines, after the game, the NFL office reviews incidents such as this. The league can choose to issue a fine, a warning, or a suspension, depending on the severity of the action (such as throwing a punch or severe endangerment of an opponent).
Any suspension is a separate disciplinary ruling, not an automatic rule of disqualification.
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Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw warms up at an NFL football training practice Monday, July 28, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A suspension is only issued if the post-game review of the situation determines the act was "conduct detrimental to the League" or a severe violation of player safety.
This is decided on a case-by-case basis by the NFL’s disciplinary officers rather than as part of an automatic rule metric.
Greenlaw has a history of becoming emotional. And getting fined. And even suspended.
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Following a 33-32 victory over the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2025 season while playing for the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw chased and verbally threatened referee Brad Allen as the officiating crew was leaving the field.
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Dre Greenlaw of the San Francisco 49ers exchanges words with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Dom DiSandro at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pa. Greenlaw and DiSandro were disqualified after the altercation. (Getty Images)
The league suspended Greenlaw, determining his aggressive post-game behavior violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which strictly prohibits the use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures toward game officials.
Last week, Greenlaw was fined $11,941 for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting the Broncos' sideline and head coach Sean Payton.
And in 2023, Greenlaw was ejected following a sideline altercation with Philadelphia Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro during another incident along the opponent's sideline.
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