George Kittle and several other San Francisco 49ers players criticized teammate De’Vondre Campbell after he refused to play in the second half of the team’s 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Campbell, who had been called on to help with linebacker depth due to injuries to Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters, left the sideline in the fourth quarter and walked to the locker room with a towel over his head, refusing to play and declining to speak to reporters after the game.
Kittle called Campbell’s decision “selfish,” saying, “I’ve never been around anybody who’s done that, and I hope I’m never around anyone who does that again.” Coach Kyle Shanahan explained that Campbell simply said he didn’t want to play, prompting Shanahan to turn to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, the only other healthy linebacker behind Fred Warner. Shanahan stated, “When someone says that, you move on. That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football.”
Veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward also expressed frustration, suggesting Campbell should have informed his teammates beforehand if he wasn’t planning to play and adding, “He is probably going to get cut soon.”
Campbell, 31, had started 12 of the 49ers’ first 13 games but had been relegated to a backup role after Greenlaw’s return. His performance earlier in the season included 79 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, and two passes defensed. Despite a standout 2021 season with the Packers, where he earned first-team All-Pro honors, Campbell’s refusal to play led to questions about his future with the team.
Kittle emphasized that anyone on the roster should be expected to play when asked, stating, “If anyone in this building got asked to go in, I’d say 100% of everybody would die to get on the football field.”
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