Former Broncos Linebacker Goes Off On Sean Payton

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton doesn’t always connect well with certain players, and when the connection gets missed for whatever reason the results can be disastrous. We got some concrete evidence of that on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Broncos, 24-10, and former Denver linebacker Dre Greenlaw tried to have a confrontatoin with Payton, per a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

There’s some history here, so let’s backtrack through it. Greenlaw was signed before last season for a lucrative contract, but things started going sideways right from the start. Greenlaw got hurt working out on his own, according to the Broncos version of this, and the result was some friction that lasted into last season. 

Things quickly got worse when Greenlaw finally got on the field after rehabbing from a quad injury. The linebacker struggled in coverage, which wasn’t all that surprising given that that’s not his strength, and the climax happened when Greenlaw got himself suspended for a game during the season by going after referee Bruce Allen after a game and threatening Allen. 

Fast forward to Sunday’s game, and Greenlaw made it clear that he hasn’t put any of this behind him. He had home field advantage in his favor as he made a tackle on the Denver sidelins, and the linebacker could be seen gesturing toward Payton after the play as he made his way back toward the field. 

More followed after the game, too. Per Alper’s report, video surfaced of Greenlaw telling Payton to “get the [expletive] off the field” while being steered way by fellow 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. 

There’s a decent chance this could get Greenlaw fined if the video can be verified, which is part of why he’s no longer in Denver. He’s hurt his reputation by doing this sort of thing, and the 49ers will doubtless have a conversation with Greenlaw about toning things down a little. 

As for Payton, he’s not always a great communicator, and he tends to make quick decisions sometimes that don’t always work out well. There’s probably an equal share of blame pie to be split up here, although there’s probably also a great “he said, he said” story lurking in between the slices. 

Fortunately for Greenlaw, there’s little chance that this will be a “to be continued” saga any time soon. The only chance these two could see each other again, save for a strange accidental meeting, would be in the Super Bowl next year, and the Broncos are nowhere close to that right now.