Football obviously is not war.
But there is a certain level of camaraderie and self-sacrifice needed to succeed in either.
And according to his own teammates, (soon-to-be former?) San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is not someone they’d want in a foxhole after what happened Thursday night.
The Niners already had a rough night, losing a rainy, sloppy home game — that featured zero touchdowns scored — to the Los Angeles Rams 12-6 on “Thursday Night Football.”
The loss stung even harder because the Rams are an NFC West rival, and the Niners’ chance of taking the division nosedived after the loss.
Adding literal insult to loss, it turned out that one of the veteran stars on the Niners refused to enter the game.
Campbell, who made the NFL’s All-Pro first-team in 2021, was reportedly called on to enter the game in the third quarter and refused to do so.
Instead, viral video captured the former All-Pro sauntering off the field in the fourth quarter, with his helmet in hand and a towel over his head:
Kyle Shanahan revealed that De’Vondre Campbell didnt want to play in the 3rd quarter.
The TNF crew share their thoughts on the situation. pic.twitter.com/8lcK1tkGTT
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 13, 2024
Should De’Vondre Campbell be cut?
Yes: 98% (563 Votes)
No: 2% (14 Votes)
When asked by a reporter about what happened, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan tersely responded, “Yeah, he said he didn’t want to play today.”
The embattled Niners coach elaborated that coaches didn’t even want to ask Campbell why he was refusing to enter.
While it’s unclear why exactly Campbell didn’t want to enter, one could reasonably surmise that he didn’t want to risk catastrophic injury on a rain-soaked field during a Niners season going nowhere.
Whatever the reasoning may have been, the Niners players weren’t buying it, particularly since Campbell was being called on to replaced injured Niners standout, Dre Greenlaw.
Niners cornerback Charvarius “Mooney” Ward was one such visibly annoyed player:
WARNING: The following video contains language that some viewers will find offensive.
Here is the whole Mooney Ward exchange on De’Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game tonight.
Mooney was brutally honest about a guy who appeared to quit on his team. #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/CT6zNcC4t1
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) December 13, 2024
After saying that Campbell’s actions hurt the team, Ward noted that the linebacker’s days as a Niner appear to be over.
“He’s probably going to get cut soon,” Ward said.
Niners star tight end George Kittle echoed similar sentiments, noting he never wants to be around players who refuse to play again.
George Kittle on De’Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game:
“I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anyone that does that again.” pic.twitter.com/YAzgstVXej
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 13, 2024
“I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, um, and I hope I’m never around anyone that does that again,” a subdued Kittle told reporters.
The 6-8 Niners now have about 10 days to regroup, as the team will next play when it travels to Miami to face the Dolphins on Dec. 22.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
