‘It’s water under the bridge’: Shanahan and Purdy respond to Deebo Samuel’s social media comments

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel sparked discussion this week when he took to social media to address the narrative that he was struggling offensively. Rather than accepting the criticism, Samuel pointed to a lack of opportunities as the reason for his limited production.

On Monday, Samuel posted: “I’m not wrestling at all, I’m just not getting the ball!!!!!!!”

The comments received mixed reactions. Critics argued that Samuel was deflecting responsibility for failing to live up to the lucrative contract extension he signed two years ago. Since his 2021 season, Samuel has not surpassed 900 receiving yards and is on pace to fail again this year.

Samuel has only 553 receiving yards and two touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving – so far this season.

On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if his polarizing team had expressed frustration with his usage on offense.

“Deebo and I talk every day, so I understand Deebo saying that,” Shanahan said. “Deebo wants to help us, and the only way he can help us is by winning the ball more. And we would like to pass it to him more, and we will continue to work towards that.”

Asked Tuesday about his social media post, which has since been deleted, Samuel replied: “You read what you read. I was certainly frustrated.”

While Shanahan admitted there are better ways to express frustration, he downplayed any notion that Samuel’s comments created a distraction within the team.

“We would still like to keep things in-house,” Shanahan explained. “That’s probably why I don’t mess around with social media. I’m sure I’d get upset too if I read stuff about myself all the time. Then maybe I’d tweet or something something like that. But is this a distraction in our building? No. This is the first time I’ve talked about it here.

“But Deebo and I see each other every day and talk about things every day, so my advice is don’t let outside (noise) frustrate you because just responding to these things won’t help you in any way. It usually only hurts you But when it comes to our relationships and our team, it’s water under the bridge.”

Strategist Brock Purdy also spoke, expressing his admiration for Samuel and his understanding of the recipient’s point of view.

“Deebo and I talk all the time, and he’s like one of my best friends on this team,” Purdy said. “I love Deebo and what he has done for me and helped me.”

Purdy also weighed in on Samuel by commenting that limited opportunities are restricting him.

“I think he’s right,” Purdy said. “He’s doing really well right now with what we’re asking of him on offense, and he’s not struggling. … There’s just times, I guess, throughout the seasons where guys don’t just don’t get the ball, just depending on the plan or what the defensive plan is, and they take guys away.

“I want to give Deebo the ball every play if I can. I want him to break every record as best he can. I want Deebo to do Deebo things, and we all do that in this building. So, it That’s exactly how the games ended. But I love my guy and I’m going to do everything I can to get him the ball.