Bosa reveals how Campbell predicted 49ers departure before game originally aired on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Nick Bosa spotted the warning signs in the locker room before the 49ers took the field Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, 31, a nine-year NFL veteran, apparently wasn’t happy with his role as the 49ers prepared to face the Los Angeles Rams. And he let the people around him know.
Campbell, who started 12 of the 49ers’ first 13 games this season, was demoted to a backup role, with Dre Greenlaw returning to the lineup. Campbell later refused to participate in the game when called upon by the coaching staff.
“In the locker room before the game, I heard some complaining,” Bosa said of Campbell. “And I wanted to say something, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to create any more distractions.
“So yeah, I kind of saw the foreshadowing and definitely didn’t think it was going to lead to that, I didn’t know it happened during the match.”
Campbell suited up for the game and grabbed one of the coveted 48 matchday roster spots. Greenlaw left the game early in the second half after feeling discomfort in his knee, and backup Dee Winters was ruled out due to a neck injury.
Campbell would have played almost the entire second half. His refusal to play ended his up-and-down season with the 49ers.
Campbell signed a one-year contract with the 49ers after the Green Bay Packers released him in March. After parting ways with the Packers, Campbell took to social media and accused the organization of abusing him. He stated that he had lost all respect for some of the Green Bay coaches.
Campbell has not yet publicly stated why he declined to play against the Rams.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Campbell after Thursday’s game.
On Monday, 49ers general manager John Lynch announced that the organization had suspended Campbell for the final three games of the 2024 NFL season for conduct detrimental to the team.
Bosa said he believes Campbell’s actions are isolated and not a signal of a larger problem within the roster.
“This locker room is great. It’s always been great,” Bosa said. “But sometimes when you bring in someone who is older and from a different place, you don’t know.
“But no, there are no problems in this dressing room. Very rarely.”
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