49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is under pressure after refusing to play against the Rams

Fort Myers native and current San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is in the hot seat after refusing to participate in a crucial NFC West showdown on Thursday night.

San Francisco hosted the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium for a contest in perhaps the closest playoff race in the National Football League.

Current division standings (after the game on Thursday evening):

• Seattle Seahawks: 8-5
• Los Angeles Rams: 8-6
• Arizona Cardinals: 6-7
• San Francisco 49ers: 6-8

Campbell, a Cypress Lake High School graduate, refused to enter the game in the third quarter after losing his starting job when Dre Greenlaw returned to action from a torn left Achilles tendon in the 2023-24 Super Bowl.

The linebacker had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season, logging 90% of the defensive snaps, but was benched during the 49ers’ 12-6 home loss.

Greenlaw made his first start of the season on Thursday, but left the game in the third quarter with Achilles tendon soreness.

Campbell was then asked to come into the game, but the nine-year veteran refused to take the field. Instead, Campbell left the sideline and went to the locker room.

“He said he didn’t want to play today,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss that left the 49ers on the verge of playoff elimination.

Shanahan said he has never experienced anything like this in his entire coaching career and said the team will “figure something out” about how to handle it in the future.

“I didn’t lose anyone,” Shanahan responded in a postgame press conference. “This is someone who doesn’t want to play football, it’s pretty simple. I think our team and I know what we think about it. So I don’t think we need to talk about him anymore.”

Shanahan is right, Campbell’s teammates know how they feel about the situation as they spoke out in postgame interviews.

“He’s a professional,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have taken his clothes off. He could have told them that before the game. I feel like what he did was selfish. “It definitely hurt the team and we needed a linebacker. In my opinion this is a bit selfish. He will probably be released soon.

Campbell signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the 49ers last offseason after the Green Bay Packers cut him in March.

“It’s a person making a selfish decision,” tight end George Kittle said. “I’ve never been around anyone who has ever done that and I hope I’m never around anyone who does it again.”

Campbell has played in 13 games this season, recording 79 total tackles, three tackles for loss and zero sacks.

The last three seasons haven’t exactly gone well for Campbell, as he has recorded one sack since 2021, when he was ranked first overall in the All-Pro inside linebacker race.

In 2021, Campbell recorded a career-high 146 combined tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and five passes defended.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Campbell is welcomed into the locker room after Thursday’s antics.

The question now is: What’s next for Campbell? Although Shanahan has not committed to releasing the linebacker, many analysts expect that to happen within the next week.

The more likely outcome is that he will be suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, just as Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson was suspended for refusing to participate in a Week 13 game against the Eagles.

This would allow the 49ers to keep one or more game checks while giving them the right to claw back a portion of his $3.35 million signing bonus.

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