San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell took his helmet, walked off the field and refused to play during his team’s crushing 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football” to start off Week 15 of the NFL schedule. Perhaps he didn’t realize then that this decision, in the midst of San Francisco’s playoff hopes taking another devastating blow, would lead to ridicule from all corners of the sport.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game, when asked about why Campbell left for the locker room, that Campbell “said he didn’t want to play today” during the third quarter. Campbell had started 12 of the team’s first 13 games this season, but he had been replaced in the lineup by linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who returned from a torn Achilles he suffered in last year’s Super Bowl.
Criticism towards Campbell came swiftly and bluntly from around the league.
“You quit on your team and you can’t do that in the National Football League,” former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman said on the Amazon Prime postgame show. “I’d be surprised if he’s on the team after today.”
That was just the beginning of the fallout for Campbell. Shanahan has indeed indicated the 49ers will move on from Campbell, whether by releasing him or suspending him in the near future. But the final damage to Campbell’s reputation remains to be seen. Here’s a look at some of the notable reactions sparked by his decision to leave in the middle of Thursday’s 49ers vs. Rams game:
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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward were among Campbell’s teammates to comment on his actions. Ward called Campbell’s decision “selfish,” while Kittle referred to the move as “immature” and “idiotic.”
But more than that, each pointed out that Campbell left the 49ers in a bad spot when two linebackers went down with injury during Thursday’s game. The team could have suited up a player willing to take the field in Campbell’s place. Ward mentioned in the locker room immediately after the game that Campbell was “probably going to be cut.”
“I’ve never been around anybody who does that,” Kittle said, “and I hope I’m not around anybody who does it again”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” that Campbell “should be ashamed of himself. There’s no excuse for what he did.” Smith speculated that Campbell’s NFL career should be in jeopardy based on his actions Thursday. As did former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark during an appearance on “Get Up.”
Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Ocho of FOX Sports brought up the history of San Francisco 49ers players past and present playing through injuries and called Campbell a “traitor” and “double agent” for leaving the field in the middle of the game with “a bruised ego.” Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones referred to Campbell’s actions as “some sucka stuff.”
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