Following the San Francisco 49ers’ narrow 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, a confrontation involving Deebo Samuel, Taybor Pepper, and Jake Moody drew attention for all the wrong reasons.
Initially, Shanahan did not see the need to discuss the incident, but after reviewing footage of the sideline exchange – where Samuel is seen pushing Pepper away while speaking to Moody – he felt it was necessary to resolve any lingering tension.
The incident occurred with just over three minutes left in the game after Moody missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Samuel, visibly frustrated, approached Moody on the sideline. While Samuel later admitted to feeling “frustrated” and “out of character,” Pepper explained that Samuel’s intent was to motivate Moody to “lock in.”
Pepper, however, took offence to Samuel advising Moody in that moment, escalating the situation.
“I wanted to make sure I did and talked to the guys about it,” Shanahan shared. “Talked to a number of guys on the team, and we squashed it and we’re good.
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“You never want Deebo to throw a baby punch or anything on anybody on our own team,” he said. “You try to challenge guys that you believe in.
“That’s how we speak to each other, telling someone they need to focus and lock in because we know you can do this.”
Shanahan went on to explain that Pepper may have misinterpreted Samuel’s intent and overreacted, and Samuel responded by pushing him away.
“I like Pep’s intentions on it. I mean, he’s got his kicker’s back, but I think he kind of interpreted wrong what Deebo was doing,” Shanahan added.
In Sunday’s game, Moody made just three of six field goals, missing from 44, 49, and 50 yards.
Despite these struggles, Moody managed to nail the game-winning kick from the same spot as his final miss.
Shanahan’s confidence in Moody remains unchanged in the aftermath of the incident.
