Nine-year pro De'Vondre Campbell declined to play for the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday and the linebacker might not be on the roster much longer.
Campbell refused to enter the game in the third quarter of the 49ers' 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game, and the veteran's status on the team appears uncertain at best.
"I don't know," Shanahan said when asked if the team would release Campbell. "We'll figure something out."
Shanahan clarified Monday that he does not expect Campbell with the team in Week 16 and beyond.
"We're working through the semantics of exactly how to deal with it," Shanahan explained. "But you guys heard from me last night, you guys heard from our players. His actions from the game is just not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still expect to be a part of our team. So we're working through exactly the semantics of it right now, but we'll handle the situation appropriately."
Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw, playing in his first game of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in the Super Bowl, felt some tightness during the third quarter and exited the game. When Campbell was asked to take the field, he declined.
Shanahan said Campbell gave him no reason as to why he would not play and shortly thereafter left for the locker room.
San Francisco lost for the fourth time in its last five games, dropping to 6-8 with a very slim chance of making the postseason.
When asked as to whether this was a sign that he had "lost the locker room" amid a season of struggles, Shanahan strongly disagreed.
"I haven't lost anybody," he said. "That's somebody that doesn't want to play football. That's pretty simple. I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that. So, I don't think we need to talk about him anymore."
It seemed as though players were united in their dismay with Campbell's decision.
"Look, if you're on the roster and you suit up, you're expected to play," said 49ers tight end George Kittle, who was unaware of the situation during the game. "I think anyone in this building that got asked to go in, I would say 100% of everybody would die to get on that football field. And so, people go through, are going through random things off the field, I can't speak on that. Whatever his decision was, it wasn't for this organization, it wasn't for this team and that's on him. So, I'm not very happy about it. I wish I would've heard about it on the field, but I didn't. Now, is that the reason we lost? Absolutely not. But it's hard to win football games when someone doesn't want to play football. Especially, when you're suited up. It kinda puts you down, especially when you lose two linebackers and could have dressed another one."
Though Shanahan didn't speculate on Campbell's future, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward minced no words in forecasting that Campbell would be an ex-teammate shortly.
"He's a professional, he been playing for a long time," said Ward, who on Thursday played in his third game since returning to the team following the death of his 1-year-old daughter. "I mean, if he didn't want to play, he shouldn't have dressed out, he coulda told them that before the game. So, I feel like that was some sucka s--- that he did. Definitely hurt the team. 'Cause Dee went down, and we needed a linebacker.
"That's some sucka stuff to me, in my opinion. Probably gonna get cut soon, so it is what it is with that."
Campbell, 31, did not play a snap on Thursday. A former Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers player, Campbell signed with the 49ers this offseason, largely to fill the void left by Greenlaw. He played each of the team's first 13 games, starting 12, including last week against the Chicago Bears. Entering the evening, his 79 tackles were second on the team.
Shanahan said he has never had a player refuse to play in a game before. He added some 49ers saw the situation unfold, but it wasn't a distraction.
"People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on," he said, "you don't deal with that anymore."
