The San Francisco 49ers defeated their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, 32-29 in Week 5, but that wasn’t the highlight of the matchup. After the game, David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard published a story on Gracen Halton’s performance, reporting that the rookie defensive tackle was celebrating in the locker room while watching a replay of his game-changing play on a teammate’s phone.

This clearly suggests that Lombardi, a longtime 49ers beat reporter, has access to the team’s locker room. However, his fellow beat reporter, Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated, recently shared a contrasting account involving Lombardi. During a postgame livestream, Cohn ranted that instead of attending the postgame press conference, Lombardi spends time in the team’s locker room, accusing him of hugging the players.

“It’s bad enough that he’s a fan of the team that he covers, but he thinks he’s on the team,” said Cohn after the 49ers’ Week 5 win. “So, for example, after a game, you might hear some of us interviewing players and the coach at the postgame press conference. You know who never asks a question? David Lombardi.

“You know why? Because he’s not in there. You know why? Because he’s in the locker room. You know what he’s doing? Hugging the players and congratulating them as if they won together. ‘Hey man, great going. How does it feel?’ He thinks he’s on the team, and it … does bother me.

“They say before you go in the locker room, if you’re not in here conducting interviews, you have to leave. He’s hugging the players. Can you imagine winning a game? You’re you’re you’re a player on the 49ers. You just won. You’re celebrating with your brothers. Here comes this freaking guy to give you a hug as if you guys accomplished something together.”

Two fellow beat reporters clashing over a different style of reporting isn’t new. But Cohn’s statement about Lombardi carries significant weight when we consider the NFL media rules. Lombardi has been covering the 49ers for almost a decade. He worked at The Athletic for seven years before ultimately joining The San Francisco Standard in 2024.

His current roles include in-depth analysis of players, team strategy, and features on people around the organization. At the same time, he conducts locker-room interviews.

However, the post-game rules of the Professional Football Writers of America, which publishes the NFL Media Access Policy, state that accredited media are granted locker-room access for the sole purpose of conducting interviews. The policy also requires teams to ensure that accredited journalists are performing the job function for which access was granted.

While the policy does not establish that a brief greeting, congratulatory remark, or hug automatically constitutes a violation, Cohn’s accusation regarding Lombardi certainly adds another layer to their different style of reporting.

“This f—king guy pretends to be a journalist and takes shilling to the next level. … It bothers me, man,” Cohn added. “Where is David? Ask a question. Oh, he’s not here because he’s hugging the players. Man, that would bug me if I was a player. ‘Man, don’t touch me. Don’t congratulate me.”

Cohn has been covering the 49ers since 2011 and currently works with Sports Illustrated. SFGATE, which first published the story, reported that both Lombardi and Cohn have contrasting approaches to the 49ers coverage. While Cohn takes a more critical stance, Lombardi is known for detailed analysis of the team’s strategy and quarterback Brock Purdy.

After Cohn’s comments gained traction, SFGATE contacted the San Francisco Standard for a response. Editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney declined to comment on Lombardi’s behalf, and Lombardi did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment. Cohn also did not respond to SFGATE’s request for an interview about the accusations. But he later acknowledged that “No one contacted me.”

For now, Cohn’s allegations remain unverified, with no independent evidence suggesting that Lombardi crossed any professional boundaries. However, the public criticism has put Lombardi’s conduct under scrutiny, and whether he chooses to address the accusations remains to be seen.