Last season was a disaster for the 49ers. But at the Bye week, they were 4-4 and full of hope.
Christian McCaffrey was coming back. Surely, they were about to go on a run to the playoffs. Then, they played the Buccaneers in their first game after the Bye. And, they won. They actually improved their record to 5-4.
But during the fourth quarter of that important victory, Deebo Samuel punched his teammate, long snapper Taybor Pepper, on the sideline. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan did not discipline Samuel for the incident. In fact, if Shanahan blamed anyone, he blamed Pepper for overreacting when Samuel yelled at kicker Jake Moody after he missed a field goal.
After that win, the 49ers lost seven of their final eight games. They never recovered.
Now, both Samuel and Pepper are off the team, and the 49ers want us to believe that the culture of their team is strong once again. Nothing but good vibes and togetherness in Santa Clara.
But the Samuel-Pepper fight was bigger than that one sideline incident. It revealed a deeper culture of double standards within the 49ers locker room. Certain players, such as Deebo Samuel, can do whatever they want without consequences. Other players, such as Brandon Aiyuk, get chewed out by Shanahan if they wear the wrong shorts to practice.
Shanahan is entering his ninth year as the 49ers head coach — his players must be well aware of his tendency to play favorites. He needs to stop this bad habit.