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After he caught just two passes and carried the ball five times in a victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel did exactly what the rest of us like to do. He took to Twitter so complain.
In a since-deleted tweet, Samuel said simply: “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!! ♂️.”
Was that a shot a quarterback Brock Purdy? After all, Purdy went 20-for-25 for 325 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-13 blowout victory. So it would be odd timing on Samuel’s part.
Media members askers 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan about the tweet, but Shanahan seemingly refused to take the bait.
“Deebo and I talk every day. I understand Deebo saying that,” he said. “The only way he helps us out is by getting the ball more. We’d like to get it to him more, and we’ll continue to work at that.”
But that still didn’t explain why Samuel took his complaints public, which Shanahan didn’t seem to understand either.
“We’d always love things to stay in-house. I’m sure I’d get worked up to if I was reading stuff about myself all the time,” he said. “Is it a distraction in our building? No. … My advice is to not let the outside frustrate you because just answering those things isn’t going to help you in any way. It usually only hurts you. But as far as what we deal with and our relationships and our team, it’s water under the bridge.”
So, what did Samuel have to say when asked about the tweet and why he decided to delete it?
“You read what you read,” he told reporters. “[I’m] a little frustrated for sure.”
At that point, you’d think he’d just leave the tweet up. And look, San Francisco’s season hasn’t gone according to plan. The Niners entered the year as Super Bowl contenders and they’re currently sitting at 6-7 and in last place in the NFC West. So Samuel’s frustration is reasonable. But it’s still not a great when the there’s still plenty to play for.