San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason fumed at reporters after being asked to clarify when he found out he was starting their season opener against the New York Jets.
Mason enjoyed a breakout performance against the Jets after replacing the injured Christian McCaffrey on Monday night, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown to help the 49ers claim a dominant 32-19 victory at Levi’s Stadium.
The 25-year-old – who was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022 – took his opportunity with both hands after San Francisco listed McCaffrey as questionable with a calf injury on Saturday. The superstar running back was then ruled out of the game entirely shortly before kickoff on Monday.
However, after his impressive display in San Francisco, Mason raised eyebrows when he claimed in his postgame interview with ESPN that he found out he was starting the season opener ahead of McCaffrey on Friday.
49ers running back Jordan Mason fumed at reporters after being asked to clarify when he found out he was starting against the Jets
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His comments are likely to spark an NFL investigation given it is mandatory for teams to report when a player’s injury status changes.
Mason was asked to confirm when he received the news in his postgame press conference, only to get heated with reporters and refuse to answer.
‘That question right there is why I’m mad,’ he said. ‘That’s why I don’t like really talking to media, ’cause you say one thing wrong and then, you know… I don’t know.
‘Just skip that question.’
Amid the confusion, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan vehemently denied telling Mason that he would start in place of McCaffrey on Friday.
‘I never told Jordan he was going to start. I told him he had to be ready a bunch, but that might’ve been [running backs coach Robert Turner Jr.] or somebody trying to pump him up,’ Shanahan insisted.
Mason, who enjoyed a breakout performance against the Jets, claimed he found out he was replacing the injured Christian McCaffrey (right) three days before he was officially ruled out
The 25-year-old produced a breathtaking display after rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan denied telling Mason that he was starting the game on Friday
‘I knew he was going to have to play a lot, told him that it wasn’t going to be like usual. He was going to be a No. 2 back that was splitting a lot of the time, but he didn’t know for sure he was doing that until today.’
With the help of Mason, San Francisco brushed aside an Aaron Rodgers-led New York outfit with ease on Monday night.
Jets quarterback Rodgers enjoyed a satisfying return to action on an individual note, throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown in his first appearance since rupturing his Achilles tendon in last season’s opener.
Yet despite Rodgers’ flashes of brilliance, the 49ers offense simply proved too strong for a disjointed Jets defense as the likes of Mason, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings punished them.
