The 49ers’ loss to the Rams on Thursday night was partially overshadowed by the 49ers’ loss bizarre refusal by linebacker De’Vondre Campbell to play.

Several players addressed the situation after the 12-6 loss, including veteran tight end George Kittle.

“I’m a leader on the team, and if this is something that distracts me on the sidelines, I would have preferred to express my own opinion right now,” Kittle said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “And that moment is over. So it doesn’t matter what I wish I could have said or done, but I don’t like distractions on the sidelines. I think that’s ignorant. And I just think it’s stupid. It’s just stupid and very immature. I just don’t understand how you could do something like that to your team. . . .

“It’s a person making a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anyone who has ever done that and I hope I’m never around anyone who does it again.”

Campbell appeared in all of the previous 13 regular-season games, starting 12 times, as a replacement for Dre Greenlaw, who returned Thursday night.

It’s hard to imagine Campbell being accepted in the locker room. That could make keeping him for the final three games an even more effective punishment than cutting him.

The more likely outcome is that he will be suspended for behavior detrimental to the team, just like the Ravens suspended receiver Diontae Johnson for refusing to attend a game against the Eagles in Week 13. This allows the 49ers to keep one or more game checks while also giving them the right to claw back a portion of his $3.35 million signing bonus.