The 49ers have suspended De’Vondre Campbell for the last three games

The 49ers have suspended De’Vondre Campbell for the last three games

The San Francisco 49ers have suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for the final three games of the regular season after he refused to play in a game following the loss of his starting job.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for the remainder of the regular season after he refused to play in a game following the loss of his starting job.

General manager John Lynch announced Monday that Campbell had been suspended for three games for conduct detrimental to the team.

The news came four days after Campbell’s refusal to play in a game against the Los Angeles Rams was condemned by coaches and teammates as a “selfish” act. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Campbell would no longer be a part of the team, with the only question being whether that would be through a suspension or a full dismissal.

The team opted for the suspension. The collective bargaining agreement allows teams to suspend a player for up to four games without pay if he behaves detrimentally to the team and to pay them a one-week fine.

“I just lost all respect,” cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said Monday. “I am someone who gives 110% to every game. … I just feel like he’s a cancer on the team.”

Campbell will earn a base salary of about $67,000 each week under the one-year, $5 million contract he signed in March. Campbell will also miss the chance to earn $60,000 in weekly roster bonuses, and the Niners could look to recoup about $111,000 from Campbell’s signing bonus.

Had the 49ers waived Campbell, he would have had the opportunity to be claimed or sign with another team.

Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of the defensive snaps for the 49ers, but was benched Thursday night after Dre Greenlaw returned for his first game since tearing his left Achilles tendon in last season’s Super Bowl .

When the 49ers wanted to bring Campbell into the game in the third quarter because Greenlaw was sidelined with Achilles tendon pain, Campbell declined, something Shanahan said had never happened to him in his time as a head coach or assistant in the NFL.

Defensive end Nick Bosa said he sensed Campbell’s frustration before the game but didn’t say anything at the time.

“In the locker room before the game, I heard some complaints,” Bosa said. “I wanted to say something but didn’t because I didn’t want to create more distraction. But I felt it somehow. I kind of saw the foreshadowing. I definitely didn’t think it would lead to this.”

Bosa said he doesn’t regret not trying to make it an issue before the game because “if he did that, he wouldn’t be the guy who should be here.”

Campbell left the field with a towel over his head and went to the locker room before the game with the Rams ended, which nearly ended the 49ers’ playoff hopes. Shanahan said he didn’t send Campbell to the locker room and didn’t know why he left the field.

Campbell’s decision sparked anger and confusion among his teammates after the game, and that hadn’t changed a few days later. But Bosa said he didn’t view Campbell’s behavior as a reflection of a team that had lost its way.

“This locker room is great,” he said. “It was always great. But sometimes when you bring someone from another place who is older, you don’t know. He was a good guy. It’s not that I didn’t like him. But there are no problems in this locker room.”

Campbell, 31, signed with San Francisco in the offseason after being released by Green Bay in March. He had been an All-Pro for the Packers in 2021, but his performance declined over the last two seasons in Green Bay.

That led to Campbell complaining on social media that he had been abused by Green Bay. He expressed excitement about being with a new team, but never reached his All-Pro level again. Campbell had some bright moments in San Francisco this season, but often struggled with tackling and coverage.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

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