Kyle Shanahan reveals 49ers LB De'Vondre Campbell is not expected to play again after Rams exit

San Francisco 49ers (6-8) head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday he does not expect De’Vondre Campbell to play again this season after the linebacker refused to enter the game in the third quarter of Thursday’s 12-6 Week 15 home defeat to the Los Angeles Rams (8-6).

Shanahan added the team is “working through the semantics” of how to deal with Campbell, such as suspending or releasing him, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

“[It’s] not something you can do and still be a part of our team,” Shanahan said.

Campbell, 31, was called upon to enter the game with linebackers Fred Warner (ankle), Dre Greenlaw (knee) and Dee Winters (neck) dealing with injuries. He declined, according to Shanahan. The 49ers signed Campbell to a one-year deal this past offseason to replace Greenlaw, who tore his Achiles in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1).

Campbell, the 2021 All-Pro, recorded 79 tackles (44 solo) for the 49ers this season, but lost his starting job as Greenlaw made his season debut against the Rams. Greenlaw departed because of knee soreness and San Francisco was forced to insert Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, the team’s only healthy linebacker left on the roster, into the game after Campbell said no.

George Kittle calls out De’Vondre Campbell after leaving Thursday Night Football game

Campbell walked back to the locker room with a towel over his head after the third quarter ended.

“People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on,” Shanahan said after the game. “That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football. That’s pretty simple. I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that, so we don’t need to talk about him anymore.”

Tight end George Kittle said that Campbell made a “selfish decision.”

“I’m a leader on the team, and if that is something that is being a distraction on the sideline, I would’ve loved to voice my own opinion in the moment,” Kittle said. “And we’re past that moment. So, it doesn’t matter what I wish I could have said or wish I could have done. But I don’t like distractions on the sideline. I think that’s ignorant. And I think it’s just dumb. It’s just stupid, and it’s very immature. I just don’t see how you could do something like that to your team.”

Kittle added: “It’s one person making a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again.”