Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Midway through the third quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers started veteran Devondre Campbell after a series of linebacker injuries.
Campbell declined the invitation.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Campbell walked to the locker room with a towel over his head without taking a snap. After the Niners’ 12-6 loss at Levi’s Stadium, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that even though linebackers Dre Greenlaw (knee) and Dee Winters (neck) were dealing with injuries, Campbell explained that he chose not to play in the game.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan said.
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Campbell’s decision and subsequent walk to the locker room infuriated Shanahan, his teammates and coaches after the loss. Shanahan said the plan was for Greenlaw to play after Campbell was sidelined due to knee soreness. The game was also Greenlaw’s first game back from an Achilles injury sustained in Super Bowl III.
After Campbell said no, the Niners sent Demetrius Flanigan-Fowles, the team’s only healthy linebacker on the roster, into the game. At the end of the third quarter, Campbell walked to the locker room.
“People were aware, but when someone says it, people come forward,” Shanahan said. “That’s a player who doesn’t want to play football. It’s very simple. I think the team and I both know how we feel about that, so we don’t need to talk about him anymore.”
When asked if Campbell would be released, Shanahan said only, “We’ll figure something out.”
In the aftermath of the disappointing loss that almost certainly ended San Francisco’s chances of making the playoffs, some of Campbell’s teammates were reluctant to speak out about the situation, as rumors were just spreading about what happened in the locker room. I refused. Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa said they don’t know enough details to make much of an opinion.
“That’s one person who made a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anyone who did something like that before, and I hope I’m never around anyone who would do that again.” Masu.”
Niners TE George Kittle
Other players had a lot to say, too, including tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Kittle spoke to reporters for about 11 minutes, appearing to grow more frustrated with what had happened as time went on.
Kittle lamented that he was able to intervene because he wasn’t a bystander when the situation escalated.
“I’m a team leader, and if it meant distracting people on the sidelines, I wanted to voice my opinion right there,” Kittle said. “And we’ve passed that moment. So it doesn’t matter what I could have said or should have done, but I don’t like bystanders to be distracted. I think that’s ignorant. And it’s I think so.” That’s just stupid and so immature, I don’t understand how someone could do something like that to their team. ”
Kittle added: “That’s one person who made a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anyone who did something like that before, and I know I’ll never be around anyone who would do that again.” I hope,” he added.
The Niners signed Campbell as an unrestricted free agent from the Green Bay Packers in March with the idea that he would be a placeholder at weak side linebacker until Greenlaw returned. The deal came after veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks agreed to a contract with the Niners, then pulled out at the last minute and signed with the Dallas Cowboys instead.
Campbell started 12 of the team’s first 13 games, with the only exception being that before Campbell started, the Niners had started only five down linemen and one linebacker (Warner). That’s what I was doing. Coincidentally, that non-start also happened against the Rams. In the team’s first 13 games, Campbell played 90 percent of San Francisco’s defensive snaps, making 79 tackles, including three for a loss, and two passes defensed.
However, with Greenlaw back, the Niners started with a nickel package with Greenlaw and Warner as the two linebackers and Winters as the third option in the base defense.
It was only after other linebackers were injured that Campbell made it clear that he did not want to play, a decision that infuriated Ward, who was playing just weeks after the death of his 1-year-old daughter.
“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 up. He could have told him that before the game. I feel like that was kind of a bad thing — he didn’t want to play. Dee definitely hurt the team and they needed a linebacker…so for him to do that is terrible to me and he’ll probably get fired right away. Deaf, so that’s the reason. I’m with you. ”
