Lost in the shuffle of the San Francisco 49ers’ 35-16 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals Sunday was the tension between Talanoa Hufanga and James Conner.
When both teams started walking off the field in Santa Clara, a disgruntled Conner approached Hufanga and confronted him. It quickly evolved into a heated scuffle where Conner tried taking some swings at Hufanga before other 49ers and Cardinals players had to separate the two. Arizona and San Francisco are divisional rivals — which means animosity is usually built in –but this individual exchange seemed to have a little more spice to it.
There had to be something more than meets the eye here, right?
James Conner and Talanoa Hufanga got into a scuffle after the Cardinals-49ers game. pic.twitter.com/smb7g31nTy
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 1, 2023
A person doesn’t usually get that furious without a good reason. Putting your hands on another human being outside of the sanctioned violence in a football context takes a lot. Well, according to Jake Hutchinson of KNBR, Hufanga claimed he didn’t know why Conner was so displeased with him.
Hmm.
Asked Hufanga about the postgame scuffle with James Conner, said he didn't know why he came up to him: https://t.co/OpZ0OlxvUZ pic.twitter.com/ZvNkOhRw6y
— Jake Hutchinson (@hutchdiesel) October 2, 2023
I’m hesitant to do anything but take Hufanga’s word here. The only objective video evidence we have is Conner taking swipes at Hufanga, not the other way around, and nothing from within the game. But the way Hufanga takes a stray shot at Conner’s rushing performance of 52 yards makes me think that the two might have, at least, been disrespectfully arguing with each other all afternoon.
The 49ers and Cardinals don’t meet again until mid-December in Arizona. Stay tuned for the next episode of this budding rivalry between Hufanga and Conner. I have a feeling there’s more to come.