Kyle Shanahan says De’Vondre Campbell, who resigned Thursday, will no longer be with the 49ers

The only thing that was clear after the San Francisco 49ers’ loss Thursday night was that De’Vondre Campbell would no longer be welcome in the locker room.

Campbell, the 49ers’ starting linebacker for most of this season and a nine-year NFL veteran, refused to play in a game against the Rams in the second half and when head coach Kyle Shanahan asked him about it subject, Campbell replied “he didn’t”. I don’t want to play today,” according to Shanahan. Then, Campbell left the sideline to go to the locker room and did not return.

NFL teams can put up with a lot, but quitting in the middle of a game is on a short list of things that will generally be unforgivable. Shanahan made it clear Friday that Campbell would no longer play for San Francisco.

Shanahan told reporters Friday that what Campbell did was “not something you can do and still be on our team,” via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

This should come as no surprise. Shanahan said the team has had no contact with Campbell since Thursday evening. He confirmed that Campbell would not be with the team in Week 16.

What happens next for Campbell and the 49ers is unclear. He could be suspended. The Baltimore Ravens suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson for one game in Week 14 after he refused to participate in a game the previous week. If the 49ers release Campbell, he would be free to sign with another team for the remainder of the season, and it doesn’t appear San Francisco is in the mood to help Campbell hang on elsewhere.

Shanahan said the team was “working out the semantics” of what would happen next with Campbell.

It is rare for a player to refuse to enter a game when asked, and much more unusual for a player to leave their team during a game. In 2018, cornerback Vontae Davis told the Buffalo Bills during halftime of a game that he was retiring and leaving. Near the end of the 2021 season, Antonio Brown took off his pads and jersey and danced in the end zone as he left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the middle of a game. Campbell joins this strange list.

Campbell was mostly on the bench Thursday with Dre Greenlaw returning to the lineup. When Greenlaw was assaulted in the second half, the team wanted Campbell on. That’s when he refused and left. Many of Campbell’s teammates criticized his actions after the game. Tight end George Kittle called him “stupid” and “immature.”

It’s no surprise that Campbell won’t return. Even if his return to face his teammates after what happened Thursday night would be interesting.

Who is De’Vondre Campbell?

Before Thursday night, Campbell had a good reputation.

Campbell was a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 out of the University of Minnesota and started 10 games as a rookie. He has started at least 10 games in each of his nine NFL seasons.

Last season, Campbell received great honor as the Green Bay Packers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. This award is given to the player who excels on the field and also helps the community through charity work.

“We are honored to nominate De’Vondre for this prestigious award,” Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said via the team’s website, Packers.com. “He works extensively with his foundation, the De’Vondre Campbell Family Youth Foundation, to help families in need through football camps, donations and their Adopt A Family program. We are proud to highlight his dedication to the community and his excellence both on and off the field.”

Campbell played four years in Atlanta, including one with the Arizona Cardinals, then had a good run with the Packers for three seasons, including his best season in the NFL. In 2021, Campbell made 146 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks, and was named first-team All-Pro.

He signed last offseason with the 49ers on a one-year, $5 million deal, bringing his career earnings to $39.1 million, according to Spotrac. Campbell started 12 of the 49ers’ first 13 games and made 79 tackles. Campbell didn’t play a single play in the first half Thursday night, yielding to Greenlaw in his return from an Achilles injury suffered in last season’s Super Bowl. In the second half, the 49ers asked him to play, and that’s when he refused.

Campbell was nominated for a prestigious off-field award, was a first-team All-Pro during his career, started 122 of 128 games in his career and earned nearly $40 million in salary, but we will probably remember him most for what happened. Thursday evening.