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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed an intense sideline spat with disgruntled receiver Jauan Jennings that took place in the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, telling reporters this week that it was simply an “intense” conversation.
Jennings returned after missing last week’s game with injuries to his ribs and ankle. But his impact on the field against the Bucs was less than notable, with just one reception for 7 yards. He drew more penalties than receptions, including a false start and a costly pass interference penalty.
Tensions boiled over at the end of the first half when Jennings and Shanahan engaged in a heated conversation. According to NBC Sports, there were two interactions between player and coach, including one in which wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson intervened and pushed Jennings away from Shanahan.
That incident reportedly took place while Shanahan was still calling offensive plays in the final two minutes before halftime.
Immediately after the game, the head coach insisted the two were “good.” Facing more questions about the interaction on Monday, Shanahan downplayed it.
“I think when you’re in an intense football game and stuff that two people who know each other pretty well and are pretty competitive about things can have really intense conversations that don’t always come off as a normal conversation, just hanging out after a press conference with you. But it’s stuff that you don’t need to make too many assumptions about because it wasn’t anything that big of a deal.”
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He continued, “Yeah, we were aggressive and intense in our conversations, but I think conversations like that can also lead to making people closer and leading to a better outcome for people.”
After the game, Jennings lamented his injuries. He said he was playing with five broken ribs and a high and low ankle sprain.
Shanahan said Monday that he had no issue with Jennings disclosing his list of injuries.
“Yeah, I think Jauan’s in a good mental space. I think Jauan’s a very emotional player. I think that’s one of the things that makes him great. So anytime we have a tough loss like that, that he is banged up and playing through a lot of stuff, I don’t think he’s in the best mood, especially after a loss like that. But Jauan is good. Jauan battled completely to come play in that game. I know he’ll battle it again to do it this week. I’ve got a lot of love for Jauan and I just hope he can get healthier so he can get back out there and be more consistent for us.”
The 49ers have been plagued by injuries this season. They were already without defensive star Nick Bosa and starting quarterback Brock Purdy when four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner went down with a season-ending ankle injury on Sunday.
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