Emmanuel Acho criticizes Deebo Samuel for side incident during 49ers-Buccaneers

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn images

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was criticized after he lost his cool on the sidelines while playing kicker Jake Moody missed his third field goal attempt during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Frustrated, Samuel approached Moody to express his displeasure, prompting a long snapper Taybor pepper to intervene to defend the kicker.

A brief shoving match ensued between Samuel and Pepper. The incident was caught on camera and quickly became a focal point in post-match discussions.

“Normally I don’t even get like that, just frustrated in the heat of the moment,” Samuel explained to reporters after the match. “You know, it’s a very close game, and I got a little out of character. But I’ll talk to Moody, and we’ll get over it.”

FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho strongly criticized Samuel’s actions and expressed his disapproval during a segment on The facility.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bigger problem with something that happened on a football team than the problem I have with Deebo punching his teammate,” Acho said Monday morning. “If you don’t defend your teammates, who will, right, Deebo? Ultimately, the long snapper should protect his kicker from the opponent. The long snapper should not be protecting his kicker from his teammate. “

Some fans have defended Samuel, pointing to their own frustrations with Moody’s performance before his game-winning field goal, which sealed the 49ers’ 23-20 victory. They claim that Samuel simply held Moody responsible.

Acho disagreed, saying, “That’s not what accountability looks like.” He added that the right approach is to cheer up a struggling teammate, not confront him on the sidelines. Acho also pointed out that Samuel is not immune to mistakes.

“Deebo, I noticed you dropped some catches,” Acho continued. “Deebo, you All-Pro, and Deebo, you’ve had your down moments on bigger stages, and we’re not calling you out for that. Super Bowl, 11 targets, three catches, 33 yards. Juan Jennings had to save the day against Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions because you were hurt. So you know what it’s like to be injured.”

Sunday was Moody’s first game back after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 5. While Acho acknowledged that Moody’s mistakes were unacceptable, he argued that Samuel’s actions were far worse.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the altercation, attributing it to flaring tempers and noting that any tensions would be resolved quickly.

“We will fix it,” Shanahan said. “If it’s not resolved yet, we’ll fix it on the plane and love each other again tomorrow.”