49ers player and Eagles' Big Dom tossed after sideline dust-up

49ers player and Eagles' Big Dom tossed after sideline dust-up originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro were both tossed in the third quarter of Sunday's game at the Linc after a strange sideline incident.

Greenlaw was penalized for slamming DeVonta Smith to the ground on the sideline after a catch. Then DiSandro, whose official title is senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer, got into it with Greenlaw. That’s when Greenlaw struck DiSandro and was kicked out of the game. DiSandro was also ejected.

The officials announced that Greenlaw had been disqualified. DiSandro was tossed as well and received and ovation as he walked off the sideline.

Here’s what NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said to Eagles pool reporter Zach Berman when asked why DiSandro was removed from the sideline:

“The officials had a flag on the field for a personal foul by San Francisco No. 57, and then there was continuing action. And so what Rule 19 allows us to do is provide assistance by looking at the video. And we saw video that showed that there was a staff person that made contact with the player and that the player involved, No. 57, made contact with the staff member which warranted his disqualification. The non-player, he was contributing to that escalation. Rule 19 does not afford us the ability to help the officials in throwing a flag that they do not throw for a non-player. That’s only afforded for a player action.”

Anderson clarified that the office in New York is not allowed to help the on-field official assess a penalty for a non-player but they are allowed to help identify a non-player to be disqualified.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was not happy on the San Francisco sideline

"That is why I tried my hardest not to lose my mind," Shanahan said. "I hope I didn’t embarrass myself too bad. I didn’t get to see it all from where I’m at but when I started hearing people explain it to me and stuff, I just can’t believe someone uninvolved in a football game can taunt our players like that and put their hands in our guy’s face. From what I was told, Dre did it back to him and I was told that he mashed him in the face a little bit, so he got ejected. It was a very frustrating play. I have to watch it to have a true opinion on it. I love how we rallied after.”

"We knew it was going to be one of those types of games," Brandon Graham said. "It was chippy. Both of them got ejected. At the end of the day, I trust Dom. I know Dom. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him get thrown out the game. But it just so happened that it was one of those emotional games. There was words being said. I think he said something and then [Greenlaw] tried to swing on him. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s one of those things where you got to control yourself. I hate that both of them got ejected but that’s part of the game. I know that Dom, if you know Dom, you know he ain’t putting hands on people. I know that he gonna learn from this too."

DiSandro is the Eagles’ head of security but he wears many hats for the organization. He has been with the Eagles since 1999.

According to his bio on the Eagles’ website, DiSandro, “oversees all safety and security matters for players, coaches, and executives. He also directs security at the team's training complex, is responsible for security measures related to team travel and logistics and provides education on the NFL's personal conduct policy.”

DiSandro can often be seen with head coach Nick Sirianni, just like he was always next to Doug Pederson, Chip Kelly and Andy Reid before that. He’s become a fan favorite in Philadelphia in recent years. On Sunday, “Big Dom” and “Head of Security” were trending on X.

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