San Francisco 49ers forced to apologize and handed NFL Draft punishment after ‘clerical payroll error’
The Niners are looking to end a barren 30-year Super Bowl drought next season
THE San Francisco 49ers have been hit with sanctions due to a payroll accounting error from 2022.
NFL bosses announced the team will have to give up its original fifth-round choice in the 2025 Draft.
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The San Francisco 49ers have been hit with sanctions from the NFLCredit: Getty
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The team lost the Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs last monthCredit: Getty
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A clerical error from 2022 has resulted in a draft pick punishmentCredit: Getty
The Niners will also have their fourth-round selection in this year’s Draft move from No. 131 to No. 135, per ESPN.
“This action resulted from a league review that found administrative payroll accounting errors at the close of the 2022 league year that resulted in a misreporting of the club’s cumulative player compensation,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
“The NFL determined that the [49ers] would have remained under the salary cap at all times regardless of the error and there was no intent to circumvent the cap.”
The 49ers have admitted that their accounts from two years ago contained a “payroll mistake.”
But they have denied there was ever an intention to “deceive the league” or gain an advantage on or off the field.
“We take responsibility and accept the imposed discipline from the NFL due to a clerical payroll error,” a statement from the team read.
“At no time did we mislead or otherwise deceive the league or gain a competitive advantage in connection with the payroll mistake.”
The Niners are due to get 10 picks in this April’s NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan.
That includes a first-rounder at No. 31 and the No. 123 pick received from the Dallas Cowboys during last season’s trade for quarterback Trey Lance.
San Francisco lost the Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs in February.
It was their third Super Bowl disappointment since 2012 and they haven’t won the Vince Lombardi Trophy since 1994.
The Niners currently have a healthy cap space of $13,368,665, per Over The Cap.
The team recently released Arik Armstead after nine seasons to cut costs.
Armstead, a veteran defensive tackle, turned down a restructured contract before swapping San Fran for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
