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A week ago, the NFL penalized the San Francisco 49ers for payroll accounting errors. As punishment, the team forfeited a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and had its fourth-round pick in next month's draft moved to the end of the round.
On Monday, general manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings and explained the punishment more thoroughly.
"I have a difference of opinion on the severity of the discipline. We take accountability for what happened," Lynch said.
He revealed that the 49ers overpaid an unspecified player $75,000 during the COVID era, labeling the mistake as a "clerical error" after implementing a new system.
"We own our part," Lynch stated. "We've gone through a whole mitigation deal to remedy some of the issues that happened, but the league decided to impose that. So you take your medicine and you move on, and we'll be good."
Instead of reporting the error to the NFL, the team mistakenly attempted to recoup the money from the player, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
This was sufficient cause for the league to discipline the 49ers, resulting in losing a draft pick next year and reducing their fourth-round pick this year.
"You hate to see a fifth-round pick [forfeited] next year," Lynch added. "The fifth round has been pretty good to us, and a little adjustment to our fourth round. But that's what the league decided to impose, and so we accept it, and we move forward."
The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place in Detroit, Michigan, from Thursday, April 25, through Saturday, April 27.
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