49ers' Mason 'mad' after being asked about CMC's injury status again
Jordan Mason put on a show in his first career start on Monday Night Football, but the San Francisco 49ers running back expressed frustration postgame after being asked multiple times about when he knew he'd be starting versus the New York Jets.
Mason originally told ESPN in an on-field postgame interview that he found out he was going to start for an injured Christian McCaffrey "maybe Friday night." However, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan later said that San Francisco didn't decide anything until Monday.
When reporters asked Mason about the situation again, he responded, "That question right there is why I'm mad," according to Kevin Krueger of The Krueg Show.
"That's why I don't like talking to the media. Because you say one thing wrong and then ... I don't know, just skip that question."
Jordan Mason was upset during the postgame press conference
— Kevin Krueger (@kevinkruegs) September 10, 2024
After the game he told reporters that he was told he was going to start on Friday.
Kyle Shanahan was asked about this and said that this wasn’t true.
This was Mason after all of that: https://t.co/UA4yAuMzQp pic.twitter.com/zsApKlYOIv
McCaffrey was ruled out prior to Monday's game with calf and Achilles injuries. The star running back said Friday he expected to face the Jets in Week 1. San Francisco listed him as questionable Saturday after he was a limited participant at practice last week.
"I never told Jordan he was going to start," Shanahan said Monday postgame, according to The 33rd Team. "I told him he had to be ready a bunch, but that might have been (running backs coach) Bobby (Turner) or somebody trying to pump him up. But I knew he was going to have to play a lot."
Shanahan added: "McCaffrey didn't have a setback. It was on and off throughout the week. He was able to practice throughout the week, it was always bothering him to a degree. ... Today it was bothering him a little too much to where we didn't feel good about it."
The 49ers could be penalized if the NFL decides that they were untruthful when reporting McCaffrey's injury. According to the league's rulebook, teams must provide "clubs and fans with an accurate description of a player's availability for the club's next game" on their game status report.
There's reportedly a strong possibility that McCaffrey won't be available for Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Mason went off against the Jets in the 32-19 victory, carrying the ball 28 times for 147 yards and one touchdown. The 25-year-old originally joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2022. Prior to Monday, he had never posted more than 11 rushing attempts in a game throughout his NFL career.