San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan does not expect linebacker De’Vondre Campbell to remain with the team following his decision not to play during the 49ers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Campbell was removed from the starting lineup ahead of Thursday’s game due to the return of Dre Greenlaw from injury. However, when Greenlaw and Dee Winters exited the game in the third quarter, Campbell refused to take the field.
On Friday, Shanahan made the team’s stance on the matter unequivocal.
“His actions from the game are not something you can do to your team or teammates and still be a part of our team,” Shanahan told KNBR. “We’re working through the semantics of (the process), but we’ll handle the situation accordingly.”
Shanahan does not anticipate Campbell playing for the team again this season. The 49ers are currently exploring their options, which include suspending or releasing the linebacker.
Campbell’s choice to not finish the game was met with disappointment from Shanahan and several teammates.
“When someone says that, you move on. You don’t deal with that anymore,” Shanahan said after Thursday’s game. “That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football. It’s pretty simple. I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that. I don’t think we need to talk about him anymore.”
Campbell, who had been filling in for Greenlaw during much of the season while he recovered from a torn Achilles, walked into the locker room after the third quarter ended. Although suited up and in uniform, Campbell did not inform teammates or coaches of his decision until he was asked to take the field in the third quarter.
“I’m not very happy about it,” tight end George Kittle said. “I wish I had heard about it on the field, but I didn’t. Is that the reason we lost? Absolutely not. But it’s hard to win football games when someone doesn’t want to play football, especially when you’re suited up. … I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anybody that does that again.”
“He’s a professional. He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “It definitely hurt the team. … For him to do that, that’s some selfish stuff to me, in my opinion. He’s probably going to get cut soon, so it is what it is with that.”
