49ers on a mission to punish De’Vondre Campbell for quitting on his team

49ers aren’t letting De’Vondre Campbell's behavior of walking off on his team go very easily as they are considering the maximum punishment.

49ers on a mission to punish De’Vondre Campbell for quitting on his team

De’Vondre Campbell (Via AP News)

Seeing the potential of the San Francisco 49ers last season, De’Vondre Campbell joined them with high expectations. But before the struggling season could even finish, he gave up on his new team. However, the franchise isn’t letting this go very easily as they are considering the maximum punishment for the linebacker. 

Campbell left his team struggling during their crushing loss against the Los Angeles Rams after he took off his helmet and walked off the field in the middle of the game. Later in the post-game press conference, when head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the abrupt exit of Campbell from the field, he had no reply except, “He didn’t want to play today.”

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After such unprofessional behavior, the 49ers are set to cut ties with the linebacker but they not simply letting it go on that note. If they would simply release him, Campbell still had the chance to sign with another team– though the chances were already quite low. 

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But the 49ers are considering imposing a fine for conduct detrimental to the team. Jay Glazer of FOX reported that Campbell was confronted by General Manager John Lynch, who’s usually known for his calm and composed demeanor and is making sure that the player regrets his action of giving up on the 49ers. 

Lynch is reportedly working with the NFL office to “pursue a max suspension for Campbell.” He feels that simply releasing Campbell only for him to join another team could be viewed as a “reward” for his unprofessional action which is unjustified. 

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49ers players address De’Vondre Campbell’s unprofessional behavior 

Unlike the 49ers head coach Shanahan who refused to discuss more about Campbell’s abrupt exit and refusal to go back on the field for the Niners, some of the players decided to address the controversy. One of them was tight end George Kittle, who labeled his teammate’s behavior “immature” and “selfish.” 

De’Vondre Campbell
De’Vondre Campbell (Via NY Post)

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.

George Kittle told the reporters post-game

Cornerback Charvarius Ward also responded to questions about Campbell in the post-game press conference and stated that the latter should have informed his team beforehand about his desire not to play the game. The defensive player gave up on the 49ers in just 13 games and recorded barely 79 tackles and two pass deflections.

Related: Insider report suggested Bill Belichick eyed the Jets before signing a $10 million/year deal with North Carolina