49ers suspend De’Vondre Campbell for final 3 games after refusing to play vs. Rams

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Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was suspended by the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the regular season on Monday for refusing to play in a game after losing his starting position.

The announcement was made four days after coaches and players criticized Campbell for his “selfish” decision to skip a game against the Los Angeles Rams. Campbell will no longer be a member of the team, according to coach Kyle Shanahan’s announcement on Friday. It is unclear if this will be through a suspension or a complete dismissal.

The suspension was chosen by the team. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams have the right to punish a player one week’s wages and suspend them for up to four games without pay if their actions are damaging to the team.

“Due to his actions that hurt the team, De’Vondre Campbell has been suspended for three games. In a statement, general manager John Lynch said, “We will not be commenting on the situation any further.

Campbell inked a $5 million, one-year contract in March that pays him roughly $67,000 per week in base pay. The Niners may attempt to recover roughly $111,000 from Campbell’s signing bonus, and he will also lose out on the opportunity to get $60,000 in weekly roster incentives.

Campbell would have had the chance to be claimed or sign with another club if the 49ers had waived him.

Despite playing 90% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps and starting 12 of the first 13 games of the season, Campbell was benched Thursday night after Dre Greenlaw returned for the first time since breaking his left Achilles tendon in the previous season’s Super Bowl.

Campbell declined to play in the third quarter when the 49ers wanted to because Greenlaw was out due to Achilles tendon pain, which Shanahan claimed had never happened to him in his tenure as an NFL head coach or assistant.

The 49ers’ dreams of making the playoffs were nearly dashed when Campbell left the field with a towel over his head and entered the locker room before to the conclusion of the game against the Rams. Shanahan claimed he had no idea why Campbell had left the field and had not sent him to the locker room.

Campbell’s choice infuriated and perplexed his teammates.

“He’s a professional,” Charvarius Ward, a cornerback, declared following the game. “He has a lot of playing experience. He shouldn’t have dressed up if he wasn’t going to play. Before the game, he could have informed them. That, in my opinion, was selfish. The team was undoubtedly harmed. We needed a linebacker after Dre went down. I think it’s sucker (crap) of him to do that. It’s likely that he will be fired shortly.

During a difficult season for San Francisco, Ward is one of numerous 49ers who have persevered through injuries or personal sorrow. Ward has returned and participated in the final three San Francisco games despite the death of his 1-year-old daughter on October 28.

After being cut by Green Bay in March, the 31-year-old Campbell signed with San Francisco over the offseason. He was named an All-Pro by the Packers in 2021, but during the final two seasons in Green Bay, his performance declined.

As a result, Campbell took to social media to protest about Green Bay’s mistreatment of him. He never returned to his All-Pro level, but he did exhibit excitement in joining a new squad. Although Campbell struggled a lot with tackling and in coverage this season, he did had a few strong moments in San Francisco.

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