San Francisco 49ers safety George Odum Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Did NFL fine wrong 49ers player for uniform violation?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 8/26/22

Per ESPN, San Francisco 49ers safety George Odum recorded one solo tackle and a single pass breakup in last Saturday's 17-7 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Those stats could prove to be somewhat costly for Odum.

As Michael David Smith explained for Pro Football Talk, the NFL fined Odum $5,305 after that contest for a uniform violation related to the 28-year-old allegedly not fully covering his knee at points during the matchup.

"During the San Francisco 49ers-Minnesota Vikings game on August 20, 2022, you were in violation of the NFL Uniform and Equipment Rules," reads a letter from the league. "Specifically, your pants failed to cover the knee area. Rule 5, Section 4, Article 3, Item (4) of the 2022 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League states that pants must be worn over the entire knee area; pants shortened or rolled up to meet the stockings above the knee are prohibited."

Odum fought back via Twitter and claimed the NFL got things wrong:

So I got fined 5k.. yeah The NFL something else’s. Talking about my knees NOT covered. Where? pic.twitter.com/Nn9CQpc3N8
— George Odum (@GeorgeOdum) August 25, 2022

As Smith pointed out, one tweet, alone, does not exonerate Odum, nor does it prove he didn't have his knee exposed last Saturday. It's also possible, though, that the NFL accidentally mistook Odum for a different 49ers player, as his picture shows one of his unidentified teammates standing with what appears to be an exposed knee during the game.

Spotrac estimates Odum has earned slightly over $4 million from just NFL contracts, so he can certainly afford to pay such a small penalty. That doesn't, however, mean that he should fork his money over without a fight if he honestly committed no infraction.

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