On “49ers Talk,” Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan discuss two controversial officiating calls in the 49ers’ road loss to the Browns on Sunday.
SANTA CLARA — Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson was at the center of one of the key plays in the 49ers’ 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Gipson was called for a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty for a hit on Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore.
The pass was incomplete, which would have set up a fourth-and-10 play with 2:41 remaining as the 49ers were clinging to a 17-16 lead at the time.
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But the 15-yard penalty gave the Browns a first down. Eight plays and 48 yards later, Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins booted a 29-yard field goal to give Cleveland the lead.
“That’s a terrible feeling to give them extra downs and for them to come away with points,” Gipson said on Thursday. “Man, it’s just a terrible feeling.
"You feel like you let your teammates down, no matter what they say. I feel like I let those guys down. It was a dogfight, where every play counted. And that was a big moment in the game.”
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Gipson said he has not heard from the NFL about the penalty -- whether to admit the play did not warrant a penalty or to inform him of a fine.
“It’s just unfortunate,” said Gipson, a 12-year NFL veteran. “Things like this change the momentum of games. You don’t get an apology letter. You don’t get a win back. You don’t get anything. Hey, bad call, move on from it. And my team is 5-1 instead of 6-0.”
Gipson said he heard plenty of encouraging words from teammates and coaches. Peers around the NFL reached out to him after the play was viewed repeatedly on social media.
Because of the split-second nature of the play, Gipson said he is not sure he would have or could have played it differently if given another opportunity.
“There’s not much I really would change, honestly,” Gipson told NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s easy to see on replay when a ball is going slow. I don’t know if he’s going to catch the ball or not. Playing football is all about being reactive.
“I look at the quarterback, then transfer my eyes to the receiver. You don’t know if he’s catching it or not. If I sit there and let him catch the ball and he comes down with it for a first down, I’m looked at like a soft safety, right?”
Gipson said he made a conscious effort to avoid a helmet-to-helmet hit on Moore, who leaped for the high throw on an in-breaking route. NFL rules also prohibit the hitting of a defenseless player in the neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder.
“Knowing it would be a huge part of the game, hard to say I would want to play it the same way, but there’s not much I could’ve changed,” Gipson said.
“Is that the only play that cost us the game? There were a lot of things that went on. But I take pride in that, and I put that on my shoulders. It’s a terrible feeling.”
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