San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Thursday night that linebacker De’Vondre Campbell decided he didn’t want to play, leaving the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan told the media after the loss to the Rams, 12-6.
Campbell, who has played with the 49ers for nine years, went into the locker room during the second half of the game.
Shanahan was asked by a reporter if Campbell alerted the coaching staff about his decision.
“He did when I asked him why he didn’t want to go in,” Shanahan answered, adding this happened during the third quarter.
Kyle Shanahan said LB De’Vondre Campbell refused to play vs. the Rams.
The veteran linebacker left the game during the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/OxHnZvFhCp
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 13, 2024
The coach revealed he’s never experienced a player quitting mid-game and added Campbell did not give a reason behind his decision.
“That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football. It’s pretty simple,” he told reporters. “I think our team and myself, I know how we feel about that. So, I don’t think we need to talk about him anymore.”
Campbell has started in 12 of 13 games this season. During the previous three weeks, Campbell’s playing time decreased a bit, according to Yahoo Sports. The previous week, the linebacker played 64.1% of the team’s defensive snaps, the outlet reported.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned to the team for Thursday night’s game after being out from an Achilles injury he suffered during the Super Bowl the previous season. Greenlaw missed a few snaps in the second half of the game, which appears to be when the 49ers wanted to put Campbell in the game. (RELATED: San Francisco Star Dre Greenlaw Might Have Torn His Achilles In Freak Accident During Sideline Super Bowl Celebration)
When asked if Campbell would be released, Shanahan said, “We’ll figure out something,” according to ESPN.
Some of Campbell’s teammates were not pleased with his behavior.
“It’s one person making a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again,” George Kittle, the 49ers tight end, said.
“He’s a professional. He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “He could have told them that before the game. I feel like that was some sucka shit that he did. It definitely hurt the team. Dee went down and we needed a linebacker … So, for him to do that, that’s some sucka stuff to me, in my opinion. He’s probably going to get cut soon, so it is what it is with that.”
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
