SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers’ locker room at Levi’s Stadium was eerily quiet Monday morning. No music. No laughter. No rookie Marques Sigle, the third-round defensive back from USC expected to start at nickel against the Houston Texans.
Not an injury. Not a tactical decision.
The real reason the 22-year-old was scratched from the Week 8 lineup left the entire 49ers organization stunned — and it all started with one reckless moment.
According to multiple sources inside the facility, including two veteran players and a staff member who spoke on condition of anonymity, Sigle made a disrespectful and derogatory remark toward Maria Gonzalez, a 58-year-old female janitor who has cleaned the 49ers’ locker room for 17 years.
It happened Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours before kickoff.
Gonzalez, known to players simply as “Ms. Maria,” was quietly wiping down lockers after practice when Sigle — still in full pads, helmet under his arm — walked past. Witnesses say he muttered something under his breath, loud enough for her to hear:
“Hurry up, lady. Some of us have real jobs.”
The comment froze the room.
Veteran safety Talanoa Hufanga, who was taping his ankles nearby, immediately stood up. Tight end George Kittle stopped mid-conversation. Even Nick Bosa, fresh off ACL surgery and on crutches, turned his head.
Gonzalez didn’t respond. She kept wiping, head down, but her hands trembled.
Within minutes, the incident reached head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“This Isn’t Who We Are”
Shanahan didn’t yell. He didn’t need to.
He called Sigle into his office, closed the door, and delivered a message that echoed through the building:
“You don’t disrespect the people who keep this place running. Not on my team. Not ever.”
By 6:00 PM, Shanahan made the call: Sigle was deactivated — not for performance, not for injury, but for conduct detrimental to the team.
GM John Lynch backed the decision immediately.
“We hold our players to a standard,” Lynch told reporters Monday. “Talent gets you in the door. Character keeps you here. Ms. Maria has been part of this family longer than most of us. She deserves respect — full stop.”
The Locker Room Reacts
The news hit the roster like a blindside blitz.
Fred Warner, out with a hamstring injury, was seen consoling Gonzalez in the equipment room. Christian McCaffrey left a handwritten apology note in her cleaning cart. Brock Purdy, ever the leader, addressed the team before Monday’s film session:
“We failed Ms. Maria yesterday. And we failed ourselves. This isn’t about football. It’s about being a decent human being.”
Even Deebo Samuel, never one to mince words, posted on X:
“Rookies learn quick: disrespect the staff, you don’t play. Simple. #NinersFamily”
Who Is Ms. Maria?
Maria Gonzalez started with the 49ers in 2008 — the year after the team’s last playoff win under Mike Nolan. She’s cleaned up after Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Garoppolo, and now Brock Purdy.
She knows every player’s locker combination. She’s the one who finds lost wedding rings, stitches torn jerseys at 2 AM, and leaves Gatorade chew packs in the rookies’ stalls on game day.
Players call her “the heartbeat of Levi’s.”
And on Sunday, a rookie forgot that.
Sigle’s Response
Late Monday, Sigle released a statement through the team:
“I was wrong. I let ego and frustration get the better of me. Ms. Maria didn’t deserve that. I’ve apologized to her in person, and I’ll keep apologizing until she believes it. I let down my teammates, my coaches, and this organization. I’m grateful for the chance to learn from this — and I will.”
He spent the afternoon helping Gonzalez with her duties — emptying trash, mopping floors, restocking towels — under the watchful eye of equipment manager Bronco Hinek.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t the first time a rookie has crossed a line — but it’s the first time in recent 49ers history a player was scratched solely for disrespecting staff.
Shanahan, when asked if this sets a new precedent, didn’t hesitate:
“It should’ve been the precedent all along.”
The 49ers, already 4–3 and fighting through injuries to Bosa, Warner, and Purdy, now face the Texans with rookie CB Darrell Luter Jr. starting in Sigle’s place.
But the real test isn’t on the field.
It’s in the locker room — where a 58-year-old janitor just reminded a $100 million franchise what real accountability looks like.
And for Marques Sigle?
This isn’t the end.
It’s the beginning of earning his way back.
