After spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman feels like the San Francisco 49ers are his team now. Nothing has made that more evident than his actions this past weekend against the Chicago Bears.
Rookie safety Marcell Harris hit Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky late in the fourth quarter. Trubisky had already started to slide near the Chicago sideline. Harris tried to ease up on the hit but still collided with the quarterback.
That was when the chaos erupted. Harris was engulfed by Bears players, which created a dangerous situation for the 24-year-old rookie. Sherman was among the first players on the scene to rescue his teammate.
Things got even more out of hand when wide receiver Josh Bellamy threw a punch and Sherman retaliated in defense of Harris.
Sherman, along with Bellamy and another Bears receiver, was ejected from the game.
General manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Thursday and shared his thoughts on Sherman's actions. He remembered praising former 49ers running back Carlos Hyde last year during a similar situation.
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"I never want to be a guy where it's ok to go get yourself kicked out of a game," Lynch said. "But I do think there's a time and I think that was a very appropriate time. I was a little upset.
"I've been around this league for a long time, and it's your responsibility to take care of your sideline. That play happened over on their sideline. They didn't like it but next thing you know, Marcell Harris was engulfed by the Chicago Bears, and Sherm had to go in there and get him.
"I mean, it was like a hockey melee. I was ready to go in there. He was in there all alone.
"I think Sherm going in there, he went in there with the intention of grabbing his teammate and then Sherm kind of said it best. 'I'm a grown man.'
"I think we all -- Richard would tell you, 'Hey, I've got to be a little bit better there.' Or maybe not. But we all can learn from that."
Lynch went on to say he likes his players having each others' backs, but at the same time, he doesn't want anyone to miss any time because of it. Lynch, after all, hopes the 49ers are playing meaningful games in December next year.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.