De’Vondre Campbell quitting on his team could be start of 49ers’ downfall
After a disastrous ending to the San Francisco 49ers season, De'Vondre Campbell's move to abstain from playing is the start of the disintegration of this team.
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De'Vondre Campbell (Image via AP Photo)
To the fans, the National Football League is just football, a game they enjoy watching with passion. The fanbase of each team feels proud and feels like a part of the organization when they succeed and rightfully criticizes them after they fail. From an athlete’s perspective, the NFL is a lot different, it is something bigger and more meaningful than wins and losses.
To an athlete, the NFL is a brotherhood. The bonds they create on the gridiron are equivalent to blood relationships to them. Think of it this way, in any team sport, when one steps onto the field, one has nobody to rely on but their teammates. They place an immense amount of trust in each other and are willing to go to any length to stand up for one another.
Now what happens when a teammate quits on you in the middle of battle? That is a question the San Francisco 49ers are currently baffled by as they attempt to comprehend linebacker De’Vondre Campbell‘s choice of not playing when called upon in the third quarter of the TNF matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
De’Vondre Campbell’s move is one amongst many struggles that have plagued the 49ers this season
The linebacker had started 12 of 13 games for the San Francisco 49ers this season. He was part of 90% of their defensive snaps but on Thursday, Dre Greenlaw returned to the starting lineup. He was inactive until yesterday after he tore his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl earlier this year. With Greenlaw in, Campbell was benched and this did not sit well with him.
In the third quarter, Greenlaw began to sense soreness in his Achilles and the right move was for him to sit down. However, when Campbell was called upon to substitute in his place, he outright refused. After the game, his move was criticized by HC Kyle Shanahan who admitted that this was a career first for him to have a player that refuses to step in when called on. Teammates George Kittle and Charvarius Ward took their blows at him too.
Whatever his decision was, it wasn’t for this organization and that’s on him…not very happy about it…it’s hard to win football games when someone doesn’t want to play football…I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that and I hope I’m not around anybody that does that again.
George Kittle said to the reporters
The latter took it a step further and called Campbell’s move “some sucker s***” and that he believes the linebacker will be cut soon.
The 49ers season has been a nightmare this year and the team has been on the brink of collapse but De’Vondre Campbell’s move is the final blow that will break this team apart. On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers have been feared but the locker room will be divided after this. It seems unlikely that the team will fire him now but he will hit free agency next year and he’s not returning to the Bay Area.
Campbell allowed his ego to get ahead of himself and rather than focusing on what was best for the team in a game where their season was on the line, he chose himself. Note that this happened at Levi’s Stadium so the 49ers began to disintegrate right in front of their fanbase. When a team is this divided, how can it be expected of them to come together in critical moments?
With this move, Campbell puts himself in the categories of Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, players who quit on their team in the middle of a game. None of them ever wore the same jersey again.
The tensions are flaring in the 49ers locker room amid De’Vondre Campbell quitting on his team
When a teammate quits in this manner, the mood in the locker room is grim. At this point, the players are probably looking at each other and wondering, “What’s to say he’s not going to quit on us?” And when that question arises, it means irreparable damage has been done to the team’s chemistry.
With the 49ers out of playoff contention, they will need to focus on retaining their roster. However, after what has just transpired, it is hard to see Dre Greenlaw and Charvarius Ward opting to return as they hit free agency in 2025.
The offense has had its fair share of struggles too
The 49ers lost without throwing a touchdown and the Rams won without scoring one either. However, the latter did a better job of controlling their turnovers. Brock Purdy threw a touchdown but to LA’s cornerback and Deebo Samuel, the man who blamed his lack of production this season on not getting the ball enough fumbled as he dropped a potential touchdown that shocked the entire stadium.
With this season short-lived and the NFC just getting stronger as better teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions now dominating the division, the San Francisco 49ers’ time as the Kings of the NFC has come to an end. De’Vondre Campbell’s move just showcased that the team has begun to fall apart and if Kyle Shanahan does not bring the locker room together in the off-season, it will be hard to see how they come back from this.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2196 Articles Published)