The San Francisco 49ers were thoroughly bemused on Thursday after this veteran linebacker DeVondre Campbell skipped the chance to take the field after halftime. This was after Campbell lost his starting job to Dre Greenlaw who was returning from injury.
Campbell was one of the most important people for the 49ers as he started 12 of the 13—even playing 90% of the team’s defensive snaps in that span. Greenlaw’s exposure post a torn Achilles injury during last year’s Super Bowl saw Campbell fare no better as he started in San Francisco’s critical fixture against the Los Angeles Rams in a backup role. They lost that game 12-6 and are now 6-8—putting them in an unlikely playoff position.
The Controversy Unfolds
Bush made sure to assert himself early since he not only deflected four passes in the first quarter but also pounced on eight tackles in the first half, outdoing his teammate, Greenlaw. However, the 49ers were forced to manage without him after he requested to be subbed off in the third quarter. This meant that they had to scramble for cover for him at the linebacker position, but Campbell’s response was negative.
After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan shared, “He said he didn’t want to play today.” Shanahan was reproducing a notion that almost everyone has, – he was not annoyed. But he could not understand how Campbell controlled himself from performing. “We will figure out something on how to handle this moving forward,” Shanahan said.
The walk off to the locker room taken by Campbell without making an entry left his own teammates quite dumbfounded and riled up plenty of criticism in the locker room.
Locker Room Backlash
Why would someone even go ahead to wear the uniform if you do not want to play? Charvarius Ward stated his disappointment with a glaring absence of kindness when tackling the case.
“He could have said this to the team before the game. He has been playing a professional sport for a long period so he should know better,” Ward expressed. What he did was selfish– which hurt the team. Dre went down, and we needed a linebacker. For him to do that- some selfish stuff, in my opinion. He’s probably going to get cut soon.”
Captain Ward’s words were also echoed by tight end George Kittle who was baffled by the whole idea in the first place.
Kittles says, “It is one individual who decides out of selfishness. It is his judgment. I have never witnessed anyone doing that and would hope never to witness such an event in the future.”
Campbell’s Troubled Season
The San Francisco 49ers signed the linebacker in March after Green Bay cut him, and he signed a one-year contract worth $5 million with the team. Campbell used to be an All-Pro in 2021, however, in recent years, it seems like he has not been performing in the same manner. The 49ers, however, did struggle with tackling while also being inconsistent in coverage during the entirety of the 2021 season.
The consequences that came from Campbell’s actions might be the end of his short entertainment in the San Francisco team. The whole situation is equally the team’s stance when it comes to the Big Games standing as it deeply adds to the team’s strong Season-stretch still to come.
