SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco linebacker De'Vondre Campbell refused to re-enter Thursday night's game in the third quarter after losing his starting role to Dre Greenlaw, who was returning from an injury.
Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season, playing 90% of the 49ers' defensive snaps. However, he was benched during San Francisco's 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams when Greenlaw came back after missing time due to a torn Achilles tendon sustained during last season's Super Bowl.
Greenlaw had eight tackles in the first half but left the game in the third quarter with Achilles soreness. That's when Campbell declined to step in.
"He said he didn't want to play today," head coach Kyle Shanahan remarked after the game, which left the 49ers (6-8) on the verge of playoff elimination.
Shanahan noted that he had never encountered a situation like this in his coaching career and added the team would "figure out something" moving forward.
Campbell’s decision left his teammates perplexed and frustrated.
"He's a professional," 49ers cornerback Charvarius 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’ve told them that before the game. I feel like that was some selfish [stuff] he did. It definitely hurt the team. Dre went down, and we needed a linebacker. For him to do that, that's some selfish stuff to me. He's probably going to get cut soon."
The 31-year-old Campbell, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with San Francisco after being cut by Green Bay in March, had been an All-Pro in 2021 for the Packers. However, his performance had declined over the past two seasons. While he showed flashes of strong play this year in San Francisco, he often struggled with tackling and coverage.
"It’s one person making a selfish decision," 49ers tight end George Kittle said. "I’ve never been around anybody who’s done that, and I hope I’m never around anyone who does that again."
