The San Francisco 49ers suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for the remainder of the regular season on Monday after he refused to participate in a game after losing his starting job.
The news came four days later Campbell’s refusal to participate in a game against the Los Angeles Rams was labeled a “selfish” act by coaches and teammates. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Campbell would no longer be part of the team, with the only question being whether that would be through a suspension or an outright release.
The team opted for the suspension. The collective bargaining agreement allows teams to suspend a player for up to four matches without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, and to impose a weekly wage on him.
“We have suspended De’Vondre Campbell for three games for conduct detrimental to the team. We will have no further comment on the matter,” general manager John Lynch said in a statement.
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Campbell makes about $67,000 in base salary each week under the one-year, $5 million contract he signed in March. Campbell will also miss the opportunity to earn $60,000 in weekly roster bonuses and the Niners could look to recoup about $111,000 from Campbell’s signing bonus.
Had the 49ers waived Campbell, he would have had a chance to be claimed or sign with another team.
Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of the defensive snaps for the 49ers, but was then benched Thursday night. Dre Greenlaw returned for his first match since He tore his left Achilles tendon during last season’s Super Bowl.
When the 49ers wanted to put Campbell in the game in the third quarter because Greenlaw was sidelined with soreness in his Achilles tendon, Campbell refused, something Shanahan said has never happened to him in his time as a head coach or assistant in the NFL.
Campbell then walked off the field with a towel draped over his head and entered the locker room before the end of the game with the Rams, almost ending the 49ers’ playoff hopes. Shanahan said he did not send Campbell to the locker room and did not know why he left the field.
Campbell’s decision left his teammates angry and bewildered.
“He’s a professional,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said after the game. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have stripped. He could have told them before the game. So I feel like that was selfish. It definitely hurt the team.” went down and we needed a linebacker… To do that, that’s a sucker punch in my opinion. He will probably be fired soon.
Ward is one of many 49ers who have experienced injury or personal tragedy during a difficult season for San Francisco. Wards The 1-year-old daughter died on October 28 but he has returned and played the last three games for San Francisco.
31-year-old Campbell signed with San Francisco in the offseason after being fired by Green Bay in March. He was an All-Pro for the Packers in 2021, but his play regressed the past two seasons in Green Bay.
That led to Campbell complaining on social media that he was being abused by Green Bay. He expressed excitement about joining a new team, but he never returned to his All-Pro level. Campbell had some nice moments in San Francisco this season, but regularly struggled in tackling and coverage.
