SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan offered more details as to why he reached his tipping point after officials called defensive offside on his 49ers late in the third quarter of Sunday's 43-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
And Russell Wilson is partially to blame, whether he had intent or not.
“Fred Warner lost his shoe,” Shanahan said Monday of the 49ers' rookie linebacker. “So, he was going to pick it up. When he went to go pick it up, Russell grabbed it and threw it. And so he [Warner] had to go about 8 more yards to pick it up, and that's what he was doing when they went hurry-up offense.”
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“So, we had a guy 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage trying to get his shoe that was thrown out of the way. They were at the line, Fred was going to be offsides because he was picking up his shoe that was thrown.
“And then when he saw that, Elijah [Lee] tried to help him out and run onto the field so he could get off. And that's why we got the penalty.”
Shanahan was trying to receive clarification from the referee on if the play clock should have been stopped or if the opposing team should have been prevented from snapping the ball while Warner retrieved his shoe.
“That’s what I was trying to figure out,” Shanahan said. “Especially when another guy on the opposing team threw it. I’m not saying that he did that maliciously or anything, who knows. But it was an unusual situation, and it was my tipping point.”
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Subsequently, Shanahan was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after arguing with the referee, finally telling him to "f*** off."
When asked what the ref offered as an explanation after the quarter expired, Shanahan simply answered, “Not much.”
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Several players said after the game that Shanahan’s actions showed his competitive nature even more. While it might have fired up his players, Shanahan believes they respected him prior to his outburst.
“I think they know that regardless,” Shanahan said. “Despite what I did, that was the icing on the cake right there. That was the tipping point, that penalty.
“But there were definitely a number of other ones from earlier. There was a build-up. I don’t think I have to get a penalty or use the wrong language to earn their respect. So, it wasn’t a smart thing by me, and something I can’t do."