The only thing that was clear after the San Francisco 49ers’ loss on Thursday night was that De’Vondre Campbell wouldn’t be welcome in the locker room anymore.
Campbell, a starting linebacker for the 49ers most of this season and a nine-year NFL veteran, refused to go into a game against the Rams in the second half and when head coach Kyle Shanahan asked him about it, Campbell said “he didn’t want to play today” according to Shanahan. Then Campbell left the sideline for the locker room and didn’t return.
NFL teams might put up with a lot, but quitting in the middle of a game is on a short list of things that will typically be unforgivable. Shanahan made it clear Friday that Campbell won’t play again for San Francisco.
Shanahan told reporters on Friday that what Campbell did was “not something you can do and still be a part of our team,” via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
That should come as no surprise. Shanahan said the team hasn’t had any contact with Campbell since Thursday night. He confirmed that Campbell will not be with the team in Week 16.
What comes next for Campbell and the 49ers is unclear. He could be suspended. The Baltimore Ravens suspended receiver Diontae Johnson for a Week 14 game after he refused to enter a game the week before. If the 49ers release Campbell he’d be free to sign with another team over the rest of the season, and it doesn’t seem San Francisco is in the mood to help Campbell latch on anywhere else.
Shanahan said the team is “working through the semantics” of what will happen next with Campbell.
It’s rare for a player to refuse to enter a game when asked, and way more unusual for a player to leave his team during a game. In 2018, cornerback Vontae Davis told the Buffalo Bills at halftime of a game he was retiring and left. Near the end of the 2021 season, Antonio Brown took off his pads and jersey and danced through the end zone as he left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the middle of a game. Campbell joins that weird list.
Campbell was essentially benched Thursday with the return of Dre Greenlaw to the lineup. When Greenlaw was banged up in the second half, the team wanted Campbell to go in. That’s when he refused and left. Many of Campbell’s teammates criticized his actions after the game. Tight end George Kittle called it “stupid” and “immature.”
There’s no surprise that Campbell won’t be back. Though him returning to face his teammates after what happened Thursday night would be interesting.
Who is De’Vondre Campbell?
Before Thursday night, Campbell had a pretty good reputation.
Campbell was a fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 out of the University of Minnesota, and started 10 games as a rookie. He has started at least 10 games in each of his nine NFL seasons.
Last season, Campbell got a high honor as the Green Bay Packers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. That award goes to the player who excels on the field and also helps the community through charity work.
“We are honored to nominate De’Vondre for this prestigious award,” Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy said via the team’s website Packers.com. “He does so much work with his foundation, the De’Vondre Campbell Family Youth Foundation, to help families in need through football camps, donations and their Adopt A Family program. We are proud to highlight his dedication to the community and his excellence both on and off the field.”
Campbell played four years in Atlanta, one with the Arizona Cardinals and then had a good run with the Packers for three seasons including his best NFL season. In 2021, Campbell had 146 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks, and was named a first-team All-Pro.
He signed this past offseason with the 49ers on $5 million deal for one year, bringing his career earnings to $39.1 million according to Spotrac. Campbell started 12 of the 49ers’ first 13 games and had 79 tackles. Campbell didn’t play a snap in the first half on Thursday night, ceding to Greenlaw in his return from an Achilles injury suffered during last season’s Super Bowl. In the second half the 49ers asked him to go into the game, and that’s when he refused.
Campbell was nominated for a prestigious off-field award, was a first-team All-Pro in his career, started 122 of 128 games in his career and made almost $40 million in salary, but he’ll probably be remembered most for what happened on Thursday night.