SANTA CLARA — Richard Sherman got ejected for fighting the Bears sideline, and he won’t apologize for it.
In the fourth quarter of San Francisco’s 14-9 loss to the visiting Chicago Bears Sunday, 49ers safety Marcell Harris was flagged for unnecessary roughness after hitting Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky as he slid to the ground. The play happened near the Bears sideline, prompting its players to hound Harris.
Richard Sherman — eight-year NFL veteran, three-time first-team All-Pro — entered the melee to protect Harris, a rookie with four starts to his name. The 30-year-old cornerback flew into the scrum and started throwing hands with Bears players.
Two Bears players and Sherman were ejected, which, of course figured to hurt the 49ers. He had not allowed a catch all game. His absence meant rookie Tarvarius Moore and second-year cornerback Greg Mabin played the game’s final snaps under pressure.
But if he had to do it over again, it sounds like Sherman would have, considering the message it sent to his sideline.
“It didn’t have to get there, but once it gets there, you have to make a decision,” Sherman said postgame. “Either you let them treat your teammate however they are going to treat him. That sets a standard, that sets a precedent.
“These are my guys. I don’t care at the end of the day what the deal is,” Sherman said. “You are going to do all that and let him go. It took too long for them to let it go. I went in there to grab him, and they continued to pull, and jerk, and grab on me. I am a grown man with kids. I don’t care about any of that. At the end of the day, they are going to get punished for it. I am a grown man. You don’t pull on me, I don’t put my hands on you. You don’t put your hands on me. I am a grown man. You put your hands on me, you are going to feel me.”
The message Sherman hoped to send was well-received on the 49ers sideline.
“I don’t know what happened over there, and Sherm made it very clear to me he was trying to get his brothers back,” Kyle Shanahan said postgame. “I love for guys to do that as much as they can. It’s definitely better when they do it as much as they can and don’t get ejected. But they had two get ejected, we had one, that was better. I respect the heck out of Sherm.”
“That’s awesome,” Nick Mullens said. “You definitely don’t want penalties, but the fact he is fighting for our team, standing up, that’s what we take pride in. We know the brotherhood we have here. We know the bond we have, no matter who is out on the field. That’s why I am almost most proud of the team this year. Look at the things we have gone through.”
Sherman said Harris tried to avoid Trubisky, but his forward motion was too much to stop before making contact. The frustration of that call, and the apparent disrespect Sherman felt the Bears showed Harris, was enough for the veteran cornerback to get involved.
“As a leader, you can’t let them do your teammate like that,” Sherman said. “Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what’s going down, I felt like they went over the top. I responded with over the top.”