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Safety Eric Reid, who was called for two unnecessary-roughness penalties on the same first-quarter drive Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, told CSNBayArea.com he was fined for his late hit at the sideline. The NFL confirmed the fine, saying Reid was fined $10,000 for unnecessarily striking an opponent out of bounds.
Reid knocked Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin to the ground out of bounds, to draw a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. Baldwin’s feet had not yet touched out of bounds at the time of Reid’s hit, though he was clearly heading out of bounds.
A few plays later, Reid was penalized for his hit on Seattle receiver Paul Richardson after a 9-yard reception. Referee Ed Hochuli described Reid’s infraction as a high hit on a defenseless receiver. But Richardson had taken three steps after catching the pass. Reid was not fined for that play, he said. A hit on a defenseless player carries a mandatory fine of $22,050.
[RELATED: Fangio: Roughing penalties on Reid, Moody all bad calls]
Also, 49ers linebacker Nick Moody was not fined for his roughing-the-passer penalty on Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. Dean Blandino, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, said Hochuli’s call was incorrect. That third-down penalty led directly to a Seahawks fourth-quarter touchdown.
San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believed the officiating blew each of those calls.