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In the aftermath of a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night that all but ended any hope they had of making the playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers had to address questions about De’Vondre Campbell leaving the field because he didn’t want to play in the game.
Speaking to reporters after the game, 49ers tight end George Kittle called Campbell’s actions “dumb” and questioned how a player can do that to the rest of the team.
95.7 The Game @957thegame
George Kittle on De’Vondre Campbell saying he won’t play. <br><br>”I just don’t see how you can do that to your team.” <a href=”https://t.co/bYx3BQh8ZH”>pic.twitter.com/bYx3BQh8ZH</a>
Other 49ers players like Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward also called out Campbell for refusing to enter the game.
Deommodore lenoir @Dmo_lenoir
I call you brothers deeper than the surface, blood make us related loyalty make us family I’ll never quit on ma brother no matter what happen cut from a different cloth, It can be 50 vs 1 I’m standing on all 10
Matt Lively @mattblively
Here is the whole Mooney Ward exchange on De’Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game tonight. <br><br>Mooney was brutally honest about a guy who appeared to quit on his team. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/49ers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#49ers</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FTTB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FTTB</a> <a href=”https://t.co/CT6zNcC4t1″>pic.twitter.com/CT6zNcC4t1</a>
Given how thin the 49ers were at linebacker against the Rams, Campbell was called on to enter the game in the third quarter. Head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game he simply decided not to.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan told reporters.
The 49ers started the game with reinforcements at linebacker, as Dre Greenlaw made his first appearance since tearing his Achilles in the second quarter of Super Bowl 58.
Since it was the first time Greenlaw played in 10 months after a major injury, he was expected to be on a limited snap count. He wound up sitting out most of the second half with a sore knee. Dee Winters was also dealing with an ankle injury in practice this week and had a neck issue pop up during the game.
Campbell walked back to the locker room later in the quarter.
“People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on,” Shanahan added. “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.”
When asked if Campbell would be released, Shanahan didn’t offer a direct answer. He said the team would “figure out something.”
The 49ers signed Campbell to a one-year deal in the offseason to add depth at linebacker while they waited on Greenlaw to recover from his injury. The 31-year-old was the starter opposite Fred Warner for 12 of the first 13 games this season.
Greenlaw’s return to the starting lineup on Thursday moved Campbell into a backup role, with Winters serving as the third linebacker.
Campbell ranks second on the team in combined tackles (79) and tied for second in solo tackles (44) this season.
