49ers LB fined for out-of-bounds playoff hit on Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott

San Francisco safety Jimmie Ward will have last Sunday’s so-called “hip-drop” tackle of Cowboys running back Tony Pollard examined by the NFL’s Competition Committee sometime during the offseason, a move that may result in a new penalty in the league’s rulebook.

49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw didn’t have to wait nearly that long to learn the repercussions of his hit in the same game on Ezekiel Elliott.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Greenlaw has been fined $10,609 for a late out-of-bounds blow delivered to Elliott late in the second quarter of last weekend’s divisional-round playoff game.

The late hit drew a 15-yard flag for unnecessary roughness at the time. While the foul put the Cowboys offense into 49ers territory with a fresh set of downs, the drive ultimately turned into a nightmare for the Cowboys.

Just five plays after Greenlaw’s penalty came the Pollard tackle, sending him out of the game for good with a high ankle sprain and a fractured fibula. Literally adding insult to injury, Dallas then turned the ball over on the very next snap; Dak Prescott threw an interception in the red zone just as it seemed that a go-ahead touchdown was imminent.

Niners Wire reports that it’s the second time this year Greenlaw has been fined for an illegal hit; he was docked the same amount of money (and was even ejected) for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in Week 10.

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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire