49ers Furious Over LB De'Vondre Campbell's Decision To Not Play In TNF

San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell is in the news after Thursday Night Football, but for all the wrong reasons.

In the fourth quarter of a dreary (and season-altering) 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Campbell was scheduled to enter the game for the Niners. Campbell was lower on the depth chart for the evening since defensive stalwart Dre Greenlaw returned from an achilles injury he sustained in last season’s Super Bowl. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he planned to rest Greenlaw whenever he was starting to experience pain, and that Campbell would take his place.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 1: De'Vondre Campbell #59 of the San Francisco 49ers runs onto the field prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 1, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Finally, the time came for Campbell to come in, and it couldn’t have come at a better time too. Linebacker Dee Winters was dealing with a neck injury, so Campbell was set to go on the field.

But he never did. Instead, he simply told Shanahan that he didn’t want to play, and jogged to the locker room with a towel over his head. The whole situation brought flashbacks of when Antonio Brown did something similar in 2022, the only difference being Campbell’s was with less flare.

This isn’t some random practice squad call-up either. Campbell has been in the league since 2016 and has recorded 79 tackles for San Francisco this season. For a veteran who’s made that big an impact for the team this season to walk off is strange to say the least.

Shanahan, tight end George Kittle, and defensive back Charvarius Ward were all ticked off about Campbell’s decision.

"People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on," Shanahan said. "That's somebody who doesn't want to play football. That's pretty simple. I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that, so we don't need to talk about him anymore."

"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," Kittle said.

Ward said that Campbell’s decision definitely "hurt the team."

A season of trouble and hardship for the 49ers continues to worsen at the most inopportune time.