As the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, an iconic player in the franchise’s history voiced frustration.
Jerry Rice isn’t happy. The legendary former 49ers wide receiver expressed disappointment in the 49er coaching staff after Deebo Samuel sustained an ankle injury in Sunday’s win.
Deebo isn’t the first major player from the team to get injured this year either, and in Rice’s mind, they all had the same thing in common.
Rice posted on his personal Instagram, “Please stop running our skill players up the middle. @trey.lance @jimmypolo10 now @19problemz all hurt!!”
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Rice’s voice obviously carries a lot of weight. Injuries are part of the game and nobody will ever deny that. Rice’s qualms seem closer to “put our players in a better position” versus “prevent them from getting hurt” entirely.
Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance suffered injuries in similar locations too. Garoppolo broke his foot while Lance, of course, fractured his ankle.
Will Niners coaches listen to one of the biggest figureheads in franchise history? Well, typically teams will block out all the outside noise. But player safety is paramount, so all eyes will be watching how the team approaches and handles their players. Especially after another injury, even if it avoided catastrophe this time.
