Dre Greenlaw wasn’t even in uniform for the 49ers on Sunday, but he still got fined.
Greenlaw was inactive but was fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct for his role in a skirmish against the Cardinals.
Also fined were 49ers defensive back Charvarius Ward ($11,255) and Cardinals tight end Trey McBride ($9,545) for their actions.
It started when McBride caught a pass and Ward drove him to the sideline, with both of them continuing to battle long after they were both out of bounds. Greenlaw was inactive and in street clothes on the sideline, but he decided to join in and gave McBride a hard shove.
The 49ers franchise was also fined $100,000 for an inactive player getting involved in a fight, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Greenlaw may have received the harshest fine because there was no reason at all for him to get involved, as a player who wasn’t even playing. The NFL may need to do more to limit the numbers of inactive players who are on the sideline, as this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a player who wasn’t playing get involved in a fight.