It’s been almost a week since San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell walked off the field after refusing to take the field against the Los Angeles Rams.
According to 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, he addressed the issue for about 30 seconds in a team meeting on Monday, and then they moved on.
The team has since suspended Campbell for the remainder of the season.
In the locker room, his locker has been cleared out, and his nameplate has been replaced.
Shanahan said the team originally signed Campbell to replace an injured Dre Greenlaw, adding that the team did their due diligence but added that not everything works out.
“You look into everything, and you weigh the risk and reward of stuff,” Shanahan said. “You weigh the situations that you have and what decisions you can make in terms of the options. By no means was it our first option, but at the time with what went down, we thought it was our best option, and it didn’t work out.”
Fellow linebacker Fred Warner described what it was like to play beside Campbell nearly all season long, and called him a good person.
“He was a good dude. I’m grateful for what De’Vondre brought to our team as a veteran,” Warner said. “He tried his hardest even though he wasn’t familiar with our scheme. It’s just unfortunate how it ended.”
Nonetheless, this is a 49ers team that has dealt with a slew of injuries. Many, if not all, of those guys would have given a lot for the opportunity to play again.
“You see on our team, the guys that have gone down, they would give anything just to have one shot to play,” Warner said. “Regardless of the situation, it is a blessing to be out there strapping up.”