The San Francisco 49ers have suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for the rest of the regular season after he refused to enter a game following the loss of his starting position.
General manager John Lynch announced the suspension on Monday, saying that Campbell would be out for three games due to conduct detrimental to the team.
The decision came after Campbell refused to play in a game against the Los Angeles Rams, an action that coaches and teammates criticized as “selfish.” Coach Kyle Shanahan stated on Friday that Campbell would no longer be with the team, leaving the question of whether it would be through suspension or release.
The team decided to suspend him. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can suspend a player for up to four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, in addition to fining the player one week’s salary.
“I just lost all respect,” said cornerback Deommodore Lenoir on Monday. “I’m a person that’s going 110% every play. … I just feel like he’s a cancer to the team.”
Campbell earns around $67,000 per week in base salary under the one-year $5 million contract he signed in March. He will also miss out on $60,000 in weekly roster bonuses, and the 49ers could attempt to reclaim about $111,000 from Campbell’s signing bonus.
Had the 49ers waived Campbell, he would have had the chance to be claimed or sign with another team.
Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of the defensive snaps for the 49ers, but was benched on Thursday night when Dre Greenlaw returned after recovering from an Achilles tendon tear in last season’s Super Bowl.
When the 49ers wanted to bring Campbell in during the third quarter because Greenlaw was dealing with Achilles soreness, Campbell refused. Shanahan mentioned that this was something he had never experienced during his time as a head coach or assistant in the NFL.
Defensive end Nick Bosa said he had heard some complaints from Campbell before the game but didn’t address them at the time.
“In the locker room before the game, I heard some complaining,” Bosa said. “I was going to say something but didn’t because I didn’t want to create more of a distraction. But I kind of felt it. I kind of saw the foreshadowing. I definitely didn’t think it was going to result in that.”
Bosa said he didn’t regret not bringing up the issue before the game because “if he was going to do that then he’s not the type of guy to be here.”
Campbell walked off the field with a towel over his head and went to the locker room before the game ended. Shanahan said he didn’t send Campbell to the locker room and didn’t know why he left the field.
Campbell’s actions angered and confused his teammates, and those feelings remained even after a few days. However, Bosa doesn’t think Campbell’s actions reflect a bigger problem within the team.
“This locker room is great,” Bosa said. “It’s always been great. But sometimes when you bring somebody who’s older in from a different place, you don’t know. He was a good dude. It’s not like I didn’t like him. But there’s no issues in this locker room.”
The 31-year-old Campbell signed with the 49ers in the offseason after being cut by the Green Bay Packers in March. He was an All-Pro in 2021 for the Packers but his performance dropped in the last two seasons, which led him to complain on social media about being misused in Green Bay.
He was excited to join a new team but never returned to his All-Pro form. Campbell had some good moments with the 49ers this season but struggled with tackling and coverage.
