Linebacker Kwon Alexander didn't play much in his regular-season debut with the San Francisco 49ers. He was ejected at the end of the first quarter for leading with his helmet during a hit on Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
"I was surprised because when I hit him, I thought he was still up," Alexander said after the game. "He pumped-faked the ball first. I would never do that. I'm not a dirty player like that. I play the game right, so it was never intentional."
General manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning and said he had a conversation with the league regarding the play and resulting penalty. He believes the key factor in deciding to eject Alexander was the fact that the linebacker hit a quarterback.
"I beg to differ that [the hit] was egregious," Lynch said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "I think Jameis, we saw how elusive he was as many times as we got him down. He got away a lot. He's 6-4, close to 250 pounds, and a tremendous athlete.
"That was, I believe, a third-and-three. Jameis is pumping the ball, and, to me, if you give yourself up, and giving yourself up is either sliding feet first or sliding head first — he did neither."
Lynch believes the penalty should have been a 15-yarder without the player ejection but acknowledges those aren't his decisions to make.
The good news is that for the short time Alexander played, Lynch believes he was everything the 49ers hoped for when they signed him to a four-year deal in March.
"Kwon was the tone-setter that we expected him to be when we signed him, in the short time that he was out there," Lynch continued. "I just look forward to him playing a full game and having an impact throughout a game that he did in the short time that he was out there."
Lynch confirmed there is no suspension in store for Alexander. The 49ers would have been alerted of such a penalty by now if the league was considering one.
"We're good, and Kwon will be out there this weekend, and we look forward to having him out there," Lynch added. "He's a fun guy. He brings a lot of energy out of people. His teammates respond to him, and that's what we were looking for aside from also a very good football player."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
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