49ers legend Jerry Rice says he ‘would’ve punched’ Eagles security guy

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw has some Hall of Fame support in the wake of his ejection on Sunday courtesy of legendary receiver Jerry Rice.

Greenlaw was tossed from the 42-19 win over the Eagles after taking a swipe at the face of Dom DiSandro, Philadelphia’s chief security officer. DiSandro had separated the linebacker from Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith — who was in Greenlaw’s face after the linebacker suplexed Smith out of bounds — and the Niners player clearly took exception. The security guard was also ejected from the game.

Video of this incident was posted on social media, sparking reactions from many about all facets of the confrontation, and the physical contact. Former Niners linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “If anyone other than a ref touched me it would be a problem.” On an Instagram post that highlighted the tweet, Rice offered his input as well.

“I would’ve punched him! A security guy job is to protect the coach!,” Rice wrote with four boxing glove emojis afterwards.

This was one of the many cries of frustration in the wake of this incident, and it’s not hard to see why fans were up in arms because of it. After all, while both the Eagles and Niners saw someone disqualified over what happened, San Francisco lost someone who can actually make an on-field difference in a game. Philadelphia, meanwhile, lost a sideline employee. 

The NFL is a copycat league. If one team can get away with a non-player instigating a player into an ejection-worthy move, what will stop other teams from doing the same? Ultimately, that answer will have to come from the league itself.