San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has admitted that signing De’Vondre Campbell was a “mistake” after the linebacker was suspended for the season for his refusal to play last week.
During their 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday, Campbell refused to participate in the game when called upon by Shanahan, astonishingly defying orders.
Instead of taking the field at Levi’s Stadium, the 31-year-old left his team and left the sideline to head back to the locker room, sparking anger in the Niners locker room.
Furious San Francisco officials responded by suspending him for the season, marking a disastrous end to his debut season with the team after signing a one-year deal in March.
And despite emphasizing that they had done their homework on him, Shanahan has admitted that the Niners should never have signed Campbell in the first place.”
“I was with De’Vondre in his rookie year in Atlanta, so I knew what he was capable of,” he said. “Not that I was super close with the defensive guys, because I was the offensive coordinator there, but I know we liked him in that building.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has admitted signing De’Vondre Campbell was a ‘mistake’
Campbell (No. 59) has been suspended for the season after refusing to play for the Niners
“I know a lot of guys who have coached him who have been good. And we clearly made a mistake.
“It’s not something we haven’t looked at. We investigate everything. You weigh the risk-reward of things. You weigh the situation you have and what decision you can make in terms of options. It certainly wasn’t our first option.
“But at the time, with what was happening, we thought this was our best option. And that didn’t work out.’
As expected, the Niners imposed the penalty on Monday, handing Campbell a three-game suspension, meaning his season is now over.
However, the team appears to have gone a step further after removing his belongings from the locker room, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
Campbell’s locker was emptied and his name tag was removed, Wagoner reported earlier this week.
By suspending the player instead of waiving him, San Francisco is denying him the opportunity to sign elsewhere for the remainder of the season.
They reportedly felt that releasing Campbell and allowing him to join another team would be a “reward.”
“We have De’Vondre Campbell Sr. suspended for three games for conduct detrimental to the team,” general manager John Lynch said Monday. “We do not wish to comment further on this matter.”
Teams have the option to suspend players for up to four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, according to the collective bargaining agreement.