San Francisco tight end George Kittle celebrates after the 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 8 in Santa Clara, California. Godofredo A. Vasquez, Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been fined more than $13,000 by the NFL for wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey. Kittle wore a T-shirt under his uniform last Sunday night that read “F Dallas” with the rest of the first word hidden by white tape. He played it to a national television audience after Jordan Mason’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
Kittle was fined $13,659 for the violation, the league announced Saturday.
Kittle said earlier this week that he expected the fine, but said it would be worth the punishment “100 percent. I would do it again.”
The jersey was a tribute to the rivalry between the teams in the 1990s, when 49ers quarterback Gary Plummer wore a similar shirt in the 1994 NFC Championship Game against Dallas, which San Francisco won en route to the Super Bowl title. Kittle had three TD catches in the game before the T-shirt was unveiled in the 49ers’ 42-10 win over Dallas.
There were several other penalties for the game: San Francisco guard Aaron Banks was fined $10,440 for unnecessary roughness and three cowboys.
Safety Donovan Wilson was fined $27,318 for two counts of unnecessary roughness, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was fined $18,219 for unnecessary roughness and safety Jayron Kearse $10,927 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Throws out Gardner with a concussion
Sauce Gardner went down with a concussion on Saturday, leaving the New York Jets without their top two cornerbacks against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gardner was added to the Jets’ injury report on Friday, calling the team “sick,” although coach Robert Saleh said before practice that he thought last season’s AP defensive rookie would do well Sunday. Gardner participated in full practice on Wednesday and Thursday before Friday’s session.
The Jets were already without D.J. Reed, who will miss his second straight game — also with a concussion — against an Eagles receiver group that includes arguably the NFL’s best duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Nickelback Michael Carter II and backup Bryce Hall were the only healthy cornerbacks on New York’s active roster before Craig James and Ke’Montae Hayes were removed from the practice squad on Saturday.
Packers Brandin Echols and Justin Hardee, primarily a special teams contributor, had previously been sidelined with hamstring injuries. Hardee was placed on injured reserve Saturday. The Jets also placed rookie offensive lineman Carter Warren, a fourth-round draft pick out of Pittsburgh in April, on active injured reserve.
