San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell walked out on his teammates on Thursday night amid a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He went to the locker room in the fourth quarter, seemingly quitting on his team.
Unsurprisingly, this led to a series of pushback from not only fans and the media but from his own teammates, who commented on the unexpected event.
De’Vondre Campbell’s Selfish Act Causes Teammates To Lash Out
George Kittle called the situation stupid, and other San Francisco teammates called it much worse.
“I’m a leader on the team, and if that is something that is being a distraction on the sideline, I would have loved to voice my own opinion in the moment,” Kittle said afterward.
“And we are past that moment,” Kittle said. “So, it doesn’t matter what I wish I could have said or wish I could have done, but I don’t like distractions on the sideline. I think that’s ignorant. And I think it’s just dumb. It’s just stupid, and it’s very immature. I just don’t see how you could do something like that to your team.”
As the 49ers lost their depth due to injuries in the second half of the 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Campbell was summoned to enter the game. However, he refused to go in. Despite losing Dre Greenlaw to a knee injury and Dee Winters to a neck injury, Campbell refused to enter the game in the third quarter.
Finally, to make matters worse and add insult to injury, Campbell exited the field in the fourth quarter with a towel over his head and went directly to the locker room.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan merely said after the game it was an act of insubordination.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan said. “People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on. That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football. That’s pretty simple.”
Kyle Shanahan revealed that De'Vondre Campbell didnt want to play in the 3rd quarter.
The TNF crew share their thoughts on the situation. pic.twitter.com/8lcK1tkGTT
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 13, 2024
When Campbell elected not to go in, the 49ers inserted Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles into the game. He was the last healthy linebacker left on the roster.
“It’s one person making a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that,” Kittle said after the game. “I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again.”
George Kittle on De'Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game:
“I've never been around anybody that's ever done that, and I hope I'm never around anyone that does that again.” pic.twitter.com/YAzgstVXej
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 13, 2024
Campbell was signed as a replacement for Greenlaw, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl last season. He was an unrestricted free agent signed away from the Green Bay Packers.
Campbell started 12 of the 13 games the 49ers have played this season. The only game he did not start was one in which the 49ers only started one linebacker due to starting five down linemen instead.
Cornerback and team leader Charvarius Ward was beside himself after the game. He played in a game only weeks after his 1-year-old daughter passed away, showing his commitment to the organization.
“He’s a professional,” Ward said. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out. He could have told them that before the game.”
Shanahan was asked after the game if Campbell would be released. He simply replied, “We’ll figure something out.”