A 49ers staffer might have saved San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir from losing tens of thousands of dollars with a slip of the tongue.
At the end of the third quarter, Lenoir was jostling with rookie Patriots receiver Ja’Lynn Polk as Jacoby Brissett threw the ball in the direction of the two players. While the Niners defender had a chance at catching the pass, the ball fell harmlessly to the grass. But at the end of the play, the referees threw a flag, calling Lenoir for pass interference. The cornerback tried to plead his case to no avail, and he may have had a point since even Fox sports rules analyst — and former NFL official himself — Mike Pereira said he wouldn’t have called that foul.
A reporter tried to carefully ask Lenoir about this penalty in the locker room after the game. It’s a delicate balance to get a player or coach to open up about a penalty given they risk fines for criticizing officials, something that the reporter talking to Lenoir noted…