John Lynch said last week’s dismissal of cornerback Tramaine Brock following a domestic violence arrest was not designed to send a message to the rest of the team.
“I think you let those things happen organically, and we did what we thought was the right (decision) in that situation,” Lynch, the 49ers general manager, said Wednesday. “It was not easy, but we felt it was something we needed to do.”
Lynch met with Brock for nearly two hours Friday before deciding to release him. Brock was arrested the previous day in Santa Clara after his girlfriend called police and authorities found “visible injuries” on her. The incident marked the 15th time a 49ers player had been arrested since 2012.
Lynch said he knew the job of general manager would bring tough decisions. The incident with Brock was one of them.
“I can tell you that the gravity of that situation – you’re affecting an organization, you’re protecting your organization, but you’re also dealing with the family,” he said. “So that was not easy. I think there’s been some conjecture that we didn’t think highly of him. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. He was a starting player for us.”
Lynch would not say whether Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, who has been taken of some teams’ draft boards because of a well-publicized domestic violence incident at Oklahoma, remained a possibility for the 49ers.
Lynch didn’t want to share any specifics about the team’s draft board. Because Mixon is from the Bay Area, he was eligible for Wednesday’s local pro day but did not attend.
Star-less session – The 49ers held their so-called “local” pro day on Wednesday, which is open for players who are from the Bay Area or who played at a college in the region.
None of the area’s marquee players, such as Stanford’s Solomon Thomas or Christian McCaffrey, was on hand. A large contingent of 49ers coaches saw both work out last month at Stanford’s pro day.
Easily the most famous face belonged to Steve Young.
The former 49ers quarterback and current ESPN analyst has become friends with Stanford defensive back Dallas Lloyd and asked Lynch if he could watch Lloyd work out Wednesday. Lynch quickly gave his blessing.
“I think he’s a big part of the fabric of this organization and any time we have him out here, I think we’re better for it,” Lynch said. “I always feel like I get smarter when I talk to Steve.”
Lynch, meanwhile, said he was already familiar with Lloyd because he had an interception against North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky in Stanford’s Sun Bowl win in December. Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have been watching a lot of film on Trubisky, who is considered one of the two top quarterbacks in the draft.
Et cetera – Lynch said a couple of highly rated cornerbacks, Colorado’s Chidobe Awuzie and Washington’s Kevin King, would be in next week for workouts. Both could be selected as high as the first round. Both also are from the Bay Area.
▪ Tight end Nehemiah Winston of UC Davis was eligible for the pro day because he was born in San Francisco. Winston said he played last season at 265 pounds but was 10 pounds lighter – and a bit quicker – in the run-up to the draft.
▪ Most of the players who attended Wednesday’s workout in Santa Clara will drive up Interstate 880 for the Raiders’ local session Thursday.
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