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The San Francisco 49ers 2024 season somehow continues to get worse. The team’s myriad of injuries, misfortunes on special teams, and late-game debacles do not compare to what happened on Thursday. In a game that signaled the ceremonious return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, he has become an afterthought. Even the 49ers’ 12-6 loss vs. the Los Angeles Rams feels irrelevant compared to what happened mid-way through the third quarter.
After Greenlaw removed himself from the game due to fatigue, the 49ers asked De’Vondre Campbell to enter the game. The linebacker refused.
Campbell, who has started 12 games for San Francisco this season, was not injured. He was in full uniform, standing on the sideline with the rest of his teammates. While Campbell’s exact reasons remain unknown, head coach Kyle Shanahan explained the linebacker’s decision after the game.
“[De’Vondre Campbell] said he didn’t want to play today. He did when I asked him why he didn’t want to go in. That was in the third quarter.
Asked if a player has ever said they did not want to play in a game, Shanahan said, “No.” Shanahan added that Campbell was supposed to play in relief of Greenlaw and that he did not give a reason why he refused to play before leaving for the locker room in the third quarter.
When asked if the 49ers would release De’Vondre Campbell, Shanahan said, “We’ll figure out something, but I don’t know that right now.”
While the 49ers mull over Campbell’s fate, the team could risk other players following in the linebacker’s footsteps. However, that is not a future Kyle Shanahan sees becoming a reality.
Campbell’s Decision Impacting Locker Room
Asked if Campbell’s decision could cause Shanahan to lose the locker room, the head coach answered bluntly.
“I haven’t lost anybody. That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football, that’s pretty simple.” Shanahan continues, “I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that. So, I don’t think we need to talk about him anymore.”
Shanahan’s words are one thing, but the response from 49ers’ players raised the most eyebrows.
49ers’ Players Respond to De’Vondre Campbell Quitting
Campbell’s decision caught his teammates by surprise, with most learning about the incident after the game. While many players refrained from commenting, cornerback Charvarius Ward did not repress is feelings.
“He a professional. He been playing for a long time,” Ward told reporters. “If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out. He could have told [us] that before the game.
Ward continued, “So, I feel like that was some sucker s–t that he did. Definitely hurt the team because [LB] Dee [Winters] went down, and we needed a linebacker. And I think [LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles] was banged up, too.
“So, for him to do that, that’s some selfish stuff to me, in my opinion. Probably gonna be cut soon, so it is what it is with that.”
Here is the whole Mooney Ward exchange on De’Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game tonight.
Mooney was brutally honest about a guy who appeared to quit on his team. #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/CT6zNcC4t1
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) December 13, 2024
Similar to Ward, tight end George Kittle expressed his displeasure about Campbell’s early exit.
“Look, if you’re on the roster, and you’re suited up, you’re expected to play,” Kittle said. “I think anyone in this building, if they got asked to go in, I would say 100% of everybody would die to get on that football field. People are going through random things off the field. I can’t speak on that. Whatever his decision was, it wasn’t for this organization, and it wasn’t for this team. And that’s on him.
Kittle added, “I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anybody that does that again. I think it’s just dumb. It’s just stupid, and it’s very immature. And I just don’t see how you can do something like that to your team.”
San Francisco had initially signed linebacker Eric Kendricks, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys after a change of heart. The 49ers would then pivot to De’Vondre Campbell as a fallback option. Since then, Campbell has played 90% of the team’s snaps and possesses a 58.2 PFF grade, 115th among linebackers.
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