10:20pm: Shanahan said on Friday (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) the team is still working out exactly how Campbell’s situation will be dealt with. He made it clear, however, that Campbell will not play again for the 49ers.
9:25am: Week 15 marked the return of Dre Greenlaw to the 49ers’ lineup, but the team’s linebacking corps dealt with injuries partway through the game. Greenlaw and Dee Winters were forced to exit the contest, opening the door for De’Vondre Campbell to step into the lineup. 
Campbell informed head coach Kyle Shanahan he would not enter the game, however. In the fourth quarter, Campbell departed San Francisco’s sideline and headed to the locker room. As one might expect, the team’s coaches and players have not reacted positively to the developments.
“People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ 12-6 loss (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “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.”
Shanahan added the team will “figure out something” when asked if Campbell will be cut in the wake of his decision. San Francisco started the year shorthanded at the linebacker spot with Greenlaw rehabbing his Super Bowl Achilles tear, and a deal was in place with Eric Kendricks during free agency. Kendricks backed out and ultimately signed with the Cowboys, however, something which led to Campbell being targeted. The former Packers All-Pro took a one-year deal to operate as the 49ers’ weakside LB starter while Greenlaw recovered.
Over that span, Campbell was indeed a key starter on defense, logging a 90% snap share. The 31-year-old totaled 79 tackles through 13 games, second on the team behind only Fred Warner. As expected, though, Greenlaw handled first-team duties in his return before being forced to exit with a knee issue. With Winters also unavailable and Campbell declining to play, San Francisco turned to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to close out the game alongside Warner.
Campbell is attached to a veteran minimum base salary, so if he were to be placed on waivers interested teams could add him as an inexpensive depth option for the closing weeks of the season. If the 49ers prefer to keep him in the fold, a suspension could be in order (similar to the Ravens’ Diontae Johnson situation). In any event, it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds.
The newest Antonio Brown, though without yanking off his top and then gesticulating as he struts to the exit.
This is stupid, but it’s not remotely close to a guy who committed a bunch of violent acts.
Not even close
Why did he even put on the uniform last night, he knew he was going to pull this stunt. Yes stunt, that is all this was, just to be bigger than the team. Walk out on your teammates, coaches, franchise. Nope no defense for this, even put your agent on the spot, he has to try and walk this back now. If I was the 49er’s management would tell him to just keep walking right out the door, your done and hopefully the other 31 teams see it that way. Just like everyday life you walk off the job tell your boss I’m not working and walk off guarantee 99.9% of the time you lost your job, no matter how many years you have worked for them.
“No participation trophy for you !”
If he wants to be released, let him sit or suspend him for the rest of the season. Rewarding these clowns for bad behavior just encourages other players to take the same route.
Is there any reason a team just can’t put them on a refused to play list and suspend their contract for its duration? No way should a team have to pay them another dime
I think he is done due to age. If he was younger like Devin White who practically quit on Bucs and kind of on Philly too, he would get a chance.
Two months ago fans, sf media, his own coaching staff started dogging Campbell about his effort and going through a rough 3 week stretch of missing tackles on some receivers and running backs
If fans, media, and my own coaches were dogging me for 2 months I’d get fed up too. Most of us would. Especially if your coaches were doing it.
That’d be like working at a job where your customers co workers and bosses criticizing you for 2 straight months about your work performance and then suddenly you’re the bad guy cause you say f it im done during a busy time during the day leaving them short staffed.
Except he just did the same crap last year with Green Bay.
Oh and….who f’ing cares? That’s what comes with being a professional athlete whose contract is paid for by the money spent on tickets, merchandise, concessions, cable TV & more by the fans. The fans are what make it possible for guys like him to make over 30million dollars in his career, and the fans absolutely have the right to expect a players full effort when he puts on the jersey. End of story.
Nobody should tolerate being disrespected at work whether esp by your employers.
Campbell disrespected himself, his teammates, his coaches, and the fans with his effort. Then he just walks off. If you don’t want to get dogged for bad performance, play better.
Hey look another dude blaming just Campbell for the whole defense underperforming this year. Weird how you blame one dude instead of everyone else underperforming. How come its just campbells fault?
Yeah totally just campbells fault 49ers defense has allowed
23 to vikings (L)
27 to rams (L)
24 to cards (L)
28 to chiefs (L)
24 to cowboys (W)
38 to packers (L)
35 to bills (L)
Totally campbells fault other people on the defense miss tackles too.
Hey look just another dude using a straw man argument. You know, argue against a point no one made instead the point that was put in front of you. Who said Campbell is the reason the 49er defense was so bad? Who has said that?
You talk like you have intimate knowledge on how Campbell was treated on the locker room. Which you don’t. Campbell play was uneven to poor for most of the year. Criticism was warranted.
Then he doesn’t start and he quits on the team, completely unacceptable.
How is refusing to play when your boss tells you to go in the game being disrespected?
I say suspend him for the rest of the season and make it very clear to him that he will not be allowed in the team facilities or on team property…it’s called “Suspended Pending Termination” without pay and let him file a grievance with his union.
His Head Coach and teammates have already said he quit on them and there is NO WAY he is coming back from that…Actions have consequences and his NFL career is over.
Disrespected? Only certain people use that card. Next up will be the race card
I don’t understand what your point is. Should we refrain from calling athletes out for poor performance or lack of effort? It’s not as though the criticism was undeserved.
More importantly, if this was truly about being criticized, why did he wait until this game to quit on the team? It appears to me this had more to do with being butthurt about getting benched for Greenlaw, who, like it or not, has a much more reliable track record
Point being nobody should be disrespected by their employers at work. Regardless what your job is.
Your point is moot. He wasn’t disrespected. He was called out for poor performance.
What adjustments did they make on defense to help the unit or him? None
47 missed tackles in 3 weeks. He missed 8-9 during that stretch. Who else got called out for the other 37 missed tackles? No one
He was disrespected. Dude was literally made the scape goat for an entire defense lacking effort and missing tackles. I’d say fck SF too if I was blamed but no one else was held accountable.
Sf created this problem. They can deal with the consequences of poor leadership from the coach staff who made 0 adjustments to their schemes and decided one dude should be the scapegoat for an entire underperforming unit for whatever reason.
I think even Butker would disagree with you
For argument’s sake, grant you that point.
Quitting in middle of a job is an act hopefully we learn not to do in adolescene.
When an adult does that-they shoot themselves in the foot as far as future career endeavors and let the world know they may have emotional maturity issues.
Shanahan doesn’t exactly inspire a let’s go team attitude. His sideline demeanor is putrid.
This is such a gen y comment. The mindset killing our country. Yes, if you’re crappy at your job, it’s okay for your boss to tell you. And if you play on a team, and someone is better than you, they play. Period.
This isn’t a generational problem. I’m part of Gen Y and disagree with Campbell’s actions as well
Agreed on it not necessarily being a generational thing. I’m Gen Z (I’m 26 whichever one that would be), and I also think that Campbell is totally in the wrong here.
If someone criticized me for two months about poor work ethic (and dogging it is bad work ethic, not just bad performance) then I’d probably work harder lol
Tell that to Rico Dowdle. He was clearly better than Zeke.
That’s why Dowdle is playing majority of time
You think millennials are killing this country because one NFL player acted like a schmuck? Get a grip.
Not millennials but the Obama generation kids are growing up. Ugh….
Obama generation? WTF?
There’s a difference between being bad at your job and your boss having an adult conversation with you and helping you fix the issues
And then your boss just criticizing your performance without actually doing anything to help and just ragging on you not other employees also messing up.
The 49ers chose the second option.
Nobody should feel disrespected by their employer regardless how much money you make.
“It’s ok to disrespect people” is a horrible attitude and glad it’s dying out.
There’s ways to handle things. 49ers handled the situation poorly. This is the result they get. Campbell wasn’t the only issue on the 49ers this year but making him the scape goat for missed tackles when the team missed 47 in a 3 week span and he missed like 8-9 made 0 sense to call him out but not others missing tackles too.
‘“It’s ok to disrespect people” is a horrible attitude and glad it’s dying out.’
What alternate dimension do you live in?
One where disrespecting your employees is a fireable offense these days if they report it to HR.
May not have been in the 60s 70s 80s 90s but it’s certainly a thing where people disrespecting you is now taken seriously by businesses.
In the nfl it began when the nfl stopped the hazing practices of people like Richie incognito. That was a huge turning point in how the nfl handled situations differently.
How adult was he to refuse to play? If he didn’t want to play, you quit the team…you don’t show up to work and refuse to work
Defense underperforms all year
23 to vikings (L)
27 to rams (L)
24 to cards (L)
28 to chiefs (L)
24 to cowboys (W)
38 to packers (L)
35 to bills (L)
October rolls around and 49ers start missing tackles left and right as team missed 42 in a 3 week span. Fans, local media, and coaches start blaming one player (Campbell) who only missed 8-9 tackles but don’t call out other players missing tackles or underperforming. Yup its the dude on a 1 year 5 mill contract who’s been the issue as 1 of 11 people on the field.
2 months pass where defensive struggles are just blamed on Campbell. Not coaching. Not scheme. Not other players underperforming.
Campbell gets demoted to 3rd string. Other players also underperforming don’t get demoted or called out by coaching staff.
Campell says F this and suddenly he’s the bad guy in all of this when hes fed up being made the scapegoat while others arent held accountable for their poor play lmao.
Charvius Ward is ranking 153/213 cbs this year according to PFF 53 grade
Leonard Floyd ranks 140th out of 201 edge rushers based on PFF 56 grade
Malik Collins ranks 89/212 graded out as 59
Jordan Elliot ranks 95th/212 56.9
But yeah. Defensive struggles totally just Campbells fault. Like I said. If thats how SF wants to roll id say fck this place too. Only dingdongs would stick around and willingly be treated that way.
You’re really going on a limb with this theory he was “disrespected”. No one but him knows why he walked out.
Are you related to him? Or maybe you’re him? You’re getting more ridiculous with each post. Nobody can ever defend a player that refuses to play
My comments are being “disrespected”. I’m insisting everyone provide upvotes from now on or I will be forced to leave. It’s the adult thing to do….lol.
Just another straw argument to try and be “win” the argument and pump up your bloviated self importance. There is no defense of player walking off the field and not playing when called upon.
Thumbs up for “bloviated.” fun word.
@
Harrison Butker’s Mount Rushmore Worthy Speech,
You think any other coaches or GM’s would tolerate this sh*t?
Imagine if he had played for Mike Ditka, Bill Parcels, Chuck Knoll, John Madden, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox or Jerry Glanville?
He’s lucky he isn’t playing for Sean Payton, John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh or Dan Quinn.
He quit on the team. There is no valid excuse for that!
That criticism comes with the job. He’s a pro athlete. There’s a reason they make the amount of $ they do.
If I had done what he did when I was in the military I’d have been punished for failing to follow lawful orders.
I’d have been court martial , possibly face confinement, they’d have taken my pay, they’d have taken rank and possibly a dishonorable discharge.
We both signed a contract. He makes far more in 2 games than I did my entire enlistment. I guess he doesn’t need the $. Or has no honor.
This is exactly right…He has no honor.
This article could look into why De’Vondre Campbell refused to go into the game. Just throwing shade on the man with no insight into the incident does not enlighten.
It doesn’t matter why he refused to enter the game…he was dressed and active and he QUIT on his teammates and that is a death knell for any player.
If I was the GM I would suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team without pay for the remainder of the season and let him file a grievance for his pay…4.6 million was guaranteed but if he refused to play he would have a hard time getting his remaining money and I wouldn’t cut him just so he couldn’t play for anybody else this year. Thank goodness he was on a one year contract so he won’t be back.
“and he QUIT on his teammates and that is a death knell for any player.”
He’s 31 and has been in the league nine years. Maybe he just wants to retire. Maybe he was standing there on the sidelines watching the 49ers have a terrible game and their season essentially ending and decided he didn’t want to risk serious injury playing anymore. Strange way to go about it but if your heart isn’t in it, I’m not going to rip the guy for calling it a career.
If you want to call it a career there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. He chose poorly. He could’ve followed in the footsteps of Connor Williams rather than the footsteps of Antonio Brown. It just reveals his true character.
He just did the same thing a year ago.
He’s not the first player who thinks the game revolves around him and his abilities. He won’t be the last. There’s a fine line between an ego that drives someone to be great and an ego that drives someone to self destruct.
You can’t look into something you don’t have any information about; otherwise, the writer would merely be speculating.
There’s no “shade” being thrown. The article is merely reporting what happened and what the coach said in the aftermath
Nice way for a bad coach of a failing team to divert attention from his own ineptitude. The media is so easily manipulated.
lol
Sure sure. Cuz players always walk off the field, shower and leave the stadium in the middle of the 3rd quarter in a primetime broadcasted football game
Vonte Davis is disappointed.
I mean – leave the stadium like a real quitter.
The same “bad coach” whose offense half the NFL currently replicates? Sure
Nonsense
Bad take. Missed the mark by a continent.
I know it is late in the year, but how about a nomination for stupidest comment of the year? I distinctly remember them being in the SB last year. Does Inside Out not watch FB?
He was a diva in the packers too, nothing new.
With Winters also unavailable and Campbell declining to play, San Francisco turned to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to close out the game alongside Warner.
Who is winters. I swear theres a wrong name in every post. Like a puzzle
Dee Winters, the guy mentioned earlier in the post? What’s the mistake here?
Winters is a second year player on San Francisco. No wrong name here.
Don’t cut him. Suspend him for conduct detrimental and make him pay back his bonus checks. Don’t give him the opportunity to take your playbook to opposing teams. Let him rot at home. Set the precedence that makes sure this never happens again.
Yup, cutting him would set a bad precedent. Suspend him for as long as is allowed, and then tell him to sit at the end of the bench. With any luck, he throws another hissy fit and you suspend him again.
Uhh they only have 3 games left and he is under a 1 yr contract.
“Suspend him for conduct detrimental and make him pay back his bonus checks. Don’t give him the opportunity to take your playbook to opposing teams. Let him rot at home.”
Do people not realize how old he is and how long he’s been in the league? lmao at cracking down hard on a guy who probably doesn’t care one iota and is likely retiring.
@rct
I’d let him go if he promises to retire, but otherwise, I don’t see why they’d want to be risk him contributing for a rival. Although, as I write this, it suddenly occurred to me that the 49ers have practically zero chance at making the playoffs anyway.
Maybe your point is well-made lol
I still wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of playing for another team this year. Even if San Fran isn’t in the playoffs, he’s still under contract until March (I believe, but that date may be off a bit)
Suspend the entire offense, especially deebo, that man is committing grand theft
They should definitely have the right to withhold that game check. I doubt they do, but what a crybaby. Ticked because you lost your starter position? Terrible teammate. He’s not welcome in Buffalo (unless this no character fool is playing for the other side).
Very Unprofessional
He was pacing himself.
Suspend him first. Take away whatever money you can before letting him go off into retirement. That’s a bad look. Nobody respects a quitter
I understand the reaction to this, but I’m confused why Diontae Johnson didn’t receive this level of vitriol for not entering Baltimore’s recent game, particularly with his history.
9ers bigger fan base more vocal. Prime time game.
Ravens vs Philly was America game but that varies based on location. Ravens were not in do or die playoff elimination.
The first part makes sense (bigger, more vocal fan base + not on primetime TV); however, the team also responded to it more dramatically than Baltimore did. Second part should not matter, IMO. Not entering the game when told to is a huge offense whether it’s a team fighting for a playoff spot or a team fighting for the #1 draft pick.
Suspend him so he can’t be picked up by a playoff team.
Dude just basically forced himself into retirement now. Nobody is going to sign him now after seeing him quitting on his team. Hope it was worth it, lol.
Gotta cut em. Shouldn’t have been allowed on team bus after gm.
It’s almost as if SF didn’t watch any tape of Campbell refusing to play physically and quit on GB the last two years. They have nobody but themselves to blame.
DANNNNGGGGGG MAMAS THICCCCC
30 million plus in career earnings. He should be ok unless he’s a dumb ass.
But his career is over. No one with a ounce of brains will ever want him now.