Niners say De'Vondre Campbell's refusal to play vs. Rams 'selfish'

Niners say De’Vondre Campbell’s refusal to play vs. Rams ‘selfish’

  • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Workers AuthorDec 13, 2024, 01:04 AM ET

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      Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has lined the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having beforehand lined the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, together with three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the corporate, Nick has led ESPN’s protection of the Niners’ 2019 Tremendous Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the primary brazenly homosexual participant drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the group’s relocation and stadium saga. You possibly can comply with Nick by way of Twitter @nwagoner

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With accidents to their linebackers accumulating in the midst of the third quarter Thursday evening in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers turned to veteran De’Vondre Campbell to enter the sport.

Campbell declined the invitation.

Then, within the fourth quarter, Campbell walked to the locker room with a towel over his head with out enjoying a snap. After the Niners’ 12-6 defeat at Levi’s Stadium, head coach Kyle Shanahan defined that Campbell elected to not enter the sport despite the fact that linebackers Dre Greenlaw (knee) and Dee Winters (neck) have been coping with accidents.

“He mentioned he did not wish to play at this time,” Shanahan mentioned.

Campbell’s choice and subsequent stroll to the locker room left Shanahan, teammates and coaches fuming after the loss. Shanahan mentioned the plan was for Campbell to enter the sport after Greenlaw had departed as a result of he was coping with some knee soreness. It was additionally Greenlaw’s first sport again from an Achilles damage he sustained in Tremendous Bowl LVIII.

After Campbell mentioned no, the Niners inserted Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, the group’s solely wholesome linebacker left on the roster, into the sport. When the third quarter ended, Campbell walked to the locker room.

“Folks seen, however when somebody says that, you progress on,” Shanahan mentioned. “That is any individual who does not wish to play soccer. That is fairly easy. I feel our group and myself, we all know how we really feel about that, so we needn’t discuss him anymore.”

When requested whether or not Campbell can be launched, Shanahan mentioned merely, “We’ll work out one thing.”

Within the aftermath of a dispiriting defeat that nearly definitely ends San Francisco’s possibilities at a playoff berth, just a few of Campbell’s teammates declined to talk on the state of affairs as a result of phrase was simply making its means across the locker room about what had occurred. Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive finish Nick Bosa mentioned they did not know sufficient particulars to supply a lot of an opinion.

“It is one particular person making a egocentric choice. I’ve by no means been round anyone that is ever executed that, and I hope I am by no means round anyone who does that once more.”

Niners TE George Kittle

Others, similar to tight finish George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward, had loads to say. Kittle spoke to reporters for about 11 minutes, and with every passing minute he appeared to develop extra irritated with what had occurred.

Kittle lamented that he wasn’t on the sideline when all of it went down in order that he may have intervened.

“I am a frontrunner on the group, and if that’s one thing that’s being a distraction on the sideline, I might’ve cherished to voice my very own opinion within the second,” Kittle mentioned. “And we’re previous that second. So, it does not matter what I want I may have mentioned or want I may have executed, however I do not like distractions on the sideline. I feel that is ignorant. And I feel it is simply dumb. It is simply silly, and it’s extremely immature. I simply do not see how you could possibly do one thing like that to your group.”

Kittle added: “It is one particular person making a egocentric choice. I’ve by no means been round anyone that is ever executed that, and I hope I am by no means round anyone who does that once more.”

The Niners signed Campbell as an unrestricted free agent from the Inexperienced Bay Packers in March with the concept he can be the placeholder at weak facet linebacker till Greenlaw returned. That signing got here after veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks agreed to a cope with the Niners then backed out on the final minute to signal with the Dallas Cowboys as a substitute.

Campbell began 12 of the group’s first 13 video games, with the lone exception being as a result of the Niners began 5 down lineman and just one linebacker (Warner) earlier than he entered. Coincidentally, that nonstart additionally got here in opposition to the Rams. Within the group’s first 13 video games, Campbell performed 90% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps with 79 tackles, together with three for loss, and a pair of passes defended.

However with Greenlaw again, the Niners began within the nickel package deal with Greenlaw and Warner as the 2 linebackers, and Winters getting into because the third choice in base protection.

It wasn’t till accidents to the opposite linebackers that Campbell revealed he did not wish to play, a choice that angered Ward, who performed solely weeks after the dying of his 1-year-old daughter.

“He is an expert,” Ward mentioned. “He is been enjoying for a very long time. If he did not wish to play, he should not have dressed out. He may have informed them that earlier than the sport. I really feel like that was some sucka s— that he did. It undoubtedly harm the group. Dee went down and we would have liked a linebacker. … So, for him to try this, that is some sucka stuff to me, for my part. He is most likely going to get reduce quickly, so it’s what it’s with that.”