San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel let his emotions boil over on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a moment of frustration after kicker Jake Moody missed his third field goal attempt of the game, Samuel lashed out, striking teammate and long snapper Taybor Pepper, who stepped in to defend Moody.
Deebo Samuel grabbed the neck of long snapper Taybor Pepper and swiped at kicker Jake Moody after a third missed field goal pic.twitter.com/wFIK3p38DR
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) November 10, 2024
Samuel admitted that his frustration got the best of him and acknowledged that he acted out of character.
"Normally, I don't even get like that, but just frustrated in the heat of battle," Samuel told reporters in the locker room after the game. "You know, really close game, and I kind of got out of character a little bit. But I'll talk to Moody, and we'll get past it."
In a dramatic turn, Moody later redeemed himself with a game-winning field goal, sealing a 23-20 victory for the 49ers and lifting their season record to 5-4.
"I think he had a little dog in him, a little motivation to go out there and make the field goal," Samuel added. "I was talking to him. At first, I wasn't saying nothing like crazy to him. I was just kind of frustrated at the time. But he went out there and won the game and he wasn't bothered by it. So we'll move past it."
As for Pepper's involvement, Samuel explained, "He just came over and wanted to be big bro."
"I talked to Moody, and we'll get past it."
Deebo Samuel discusses his "frustrated" reaction to Jake Moody's missed kick pic.twitter.com/webb9hMXWT
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 10, 2024
Pepper downplayed the incident, acknowledging the high-stakes nature of the game.
"Jake was having a little rough patch there," Pepper said. "Just standing up there for Jake because there was still time on the clock, so the game wasn't over, and everybody knows what happened at the end."
Pepper mentioned he hadn't yet spoken with Samuel about the incident but expected they'd clear the air soon.
Taybor Pepper explains that Deebo Samuel told Jake Moody to "lock in," sparking a sideline scuffle after a missed kick pic.twitter.com/dFoI5SRbGp
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 10, 2024
Head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't too concerned about the brief scuffle, attributing it to the intensity of the game.
"I don't have much of a take because I didn't see any of it," Shanahan admitted. "I just got told about it, but probably an obvious one. Guys frustrated and something probably happened, and brothers scuffle a little bit. I didn't see any of it, so I don't know how bad it was, but something I'm not too worried about.
"We'll fix it. If it hasn't been fixed already, we'll fix it on the plane, and we'll go back to loving each other tomorrow."
Linebacker Fred Warner, learning of the incident afterward, took a similarly understanding stance.
"I didn't know about it until after I got back in the locker room," Warner said. "And that's just the fiery spirit of the team. Everybody, of course, wants to win, and I don't put too much into that."
Moody, playing in his first game back from an ankle injury, was grateful for the chance to make up for his earlier misses. He noted that he was confident as he prepared for the game-winning kick.
As for Samuel's momentary lapse in judgment, Moody said, "It's an emotional game, and stuff like that happens all the time, and you just move past it. We won, so that's all that matters."
Jake Moody reflects on his up-and-down kicking day and Deebo Samuel's frustration after his third miss pic.twitter.com/Yp1R5vU5hF
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 10, 2024
Quarterback Brock Purdy said he never doubted Moody as he lined up for the final kick despite the earlier misses.
"I knew he was going to hit it," Purdy said. "Just who he is and what he's done for us. We've literally seen him hit some really big kicks in his career. And obviously at practice and stuff, we've seen what he's capable of. And so, for him to be in that moment, obviously, I knew that he's the kind of guy that would learn from this kind of mistakes, and then when it mattered most, finish, and that's what he did."
