San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw runs after an interception against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 1. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Dre Greenlaw had the costliest pick-six imaginable

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 9/18/21

Dre Greenlaw made a great play for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, but it was costly.

The third-year linebacker had a pick-six against the Detroit Lions to put San Francisco up 28-10 in the second quarter.

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw picks off Jared Goff and runs it back for

(via @NFLBrasil)
pic.twitter.com/OY6zo67Ps8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 12, 2021

But guess what? Greenlaw was fined for waving to the Lions as he returned the interception.

Quite a pick-6 for #49ers LB Dre Greenlaw last week. He was fined $5,169 for unsportsmanlike conduct for waving goodbye to the #Lions on his TD… and tore his groin and underwent core muscle surgery (which was successful).

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2021

Not only did the wave cost Greenlaw $5,169, but he also re-tweaked a core muscle injury with which he had been dealing.

“It was actually on the pick-six that he kinda re-tweaked it, and at some point, we scanned it, and this core muscle injury just continued to get worse,” 49ers GM John Lynch said. “It got to the point where we felt the best interest for everyone was to go ahead and handle it now.”

Greenlaw is now expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to the injury.

Great play by Greenlaw to give his team a touchdown, but it cost him money and an injury. That’s not a good combination.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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