49ers Head Coach Says They Made A ‘Mistake’ Signing Player Who Quit During Game

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted the team made a “mistake” in signing De’Vondre Campbell, who ended up quitting in the middle of a big divisional game, shocking the entire sports world.

Speaking to members of the press, Shanahan was asked about comments Campbell made last year that got a lot of attention when he said on social media that he was done playing through injuries for his team, Mediaite reported. At the time, he was with the Green Bay Packers, who later released him.

The coach said they took the comments into consideration, but when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, Cambell was a well-liked player and he thought when the team lost Dre Greenlaw to a torn achilles, he was the linebacker to sign.

Kyle Shanahan on the signing of De’Vondre Campbell during free agency:

“We obviously made a mistake.” pic.twitter.com/j9PPt7xzfk

— Coach Yac ???? (@Coach_Yac) December 18, 2024

“It was tough losing Dre. We knew we were gonna have to need a starting-caliber linebacker; and we had two guys that we thought we had committed that we lost in free agency; and then another guy got cut after that and became available,” Shanahan said.

“I was with De’Vondre his rookie year in Atlanta, so I knew what he was capable of — not that I was really close or anything with the defensive guys, being an offensive coordinator there and everything — but I know we liked him in that building and a lot of guys who had coached him had been good,” he added. “We obviously made a mistake, but it’s not something that you don’t look into. We look into everything and you weigh the risk and reward of stuff.”

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During the 49ers game against the Los Angeles Rams, Greenlaw — who was playing in his first game of the season after tearing his Achilles in last season’s Super Bowl, complained of soreness, as previously reported.

In the third quarter, the backup linebacker Campell was asked to step in, but refused to go into the game because “he didn’t want to play,” Shanahan told reporters after the game.

The 49ers, the defending NFC champions, went on to lose to the Rams 12-6, a huge blow to the 49ers playoff chances as the team fell to a record of 6-8.

Shanahan told reporters after the game that Campbell didn’t give a reason for refusing to play, adding that it’s the first time a player on his team said he didn’t want to go into a game.

“That’s somebody who doesn’t want to play football. It’s pretty simple,” the coach said. “I think our team and myself I know how we feel about that, so. I don’t think we need to talk about him anymore.”

The team then decided to suspend Campbell for the next three games without pay, the remainder of the regular season.

Campbell is in his ninth season in the NFL, having played for the Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and Packers before joining the 49ers.

Related: ‘He Didn’t Want To Play’: 49ers Linebacker Refuses To Enter Big Divisional Game