DK Metcalf’s on-field altercation with 49ers LB Fred Warner led to his ejection from the game, making it an unusual Sunday night for the Seahawks. The star WR struggled to rake in any points throughout the matchup, resulting in a loss and a final score of 28-16. After the game, 49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper didn’t shy away from giving DK Metcalf a taste of his own medicine.
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Following the win against their divisional rival, Taybor Pepper took to social media to share an interesting video. In the clip, the 49ers star used ASL (American Sign Language) and asked, “Anyone know ASL?” in the caption. This led to an interesting guessing game among his fans as they tried to guess Pepper’s cryptic message.
While fans took wild guesses, Pepper later confirmed that his sign language was a playful way of trash-talking DK Metcalf. When someone asked if his gestures meant “14, [f*cked] around and found out” or “14, [f*cked] around and went peace,” the star long snapper revealed the answer to be the first one.
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DK Metcalf was ejected from the game late in the fourth quarter after he tackled 49ers LB Fred Warner. This occurred after Warner intercepted a pass from Drew Lock and was in possession of the ball. Metcalf engaged with Warner, wrapping him up from around the waist and hurling him backward into the ground.
#49ers LB Fred Warner picks off Drew Lock, DK Metcalf attempts to tackle him WWE-style; Warner pitches the ball to a teammate, and all hell eventually breaks loose.
Metcalf has been ejected.pic.twitter.com/MoIRMRqdHr
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 10, 2023
As Warner got up, he shoved Metcalf to the ground, which led to a scuffle. Metcalf even tried to rip off Pepper’s face mask. More players quickly joined in, which made things a bit chaotic. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also rushed onto the field to calm things down.
In October, Metcalf revealed he had started learning sign language to avoid getting penalized on the field. However, Fred Warner’s teammate saw the moment and cleverly decided to tease Metcalf using sign language, which the Seahawks WR had been learning passionately in his free time.
Fred Warner and DK Metcalf Open Up About the On-Field Altercation
In the post-game press conference, Fred Warner said he complimented Metcalf’s tackle but didn’t understand why Metcalf reacted frustratingly, which led to the fight. Warner felt sorry about it and thought Metcalf could have dealt with it better. Still, he was happy about the team’s win, even with what happened in the last quarter. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the fans were quick to spot ‘sarcasm’ in Warner’s reasoning in the interview.
Fred Warner details what went down in the DK Metcalf scuffle pic.twitter.com/jwOx8Swb8x
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 11, 2023
The Seahawks WR also had a chat with a few reporters in the locker room after his ejection from the game. Metcalf acknowledged that it wasn’t solely his frustration that led to the outrage. Metcalf explained that he reacted because Warner had hit him in the back of the head, which led to his retaliation.
DK Metcalf after #Seahawks’ loss at 49ers, including explaining the play on which he got heated and ejected @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/bwSuJqfKnf
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 11, 2023
When they asked if Warner’s hit was against the rules, Metcalf said he thought Warner had the ball during the play. He said he acted defensively because defensive players rarely react negatively to a suplex or tackle. However, Metcalf concluded by saying Warner’s action made him react that way.