Although veteran NFL LB De’Vondre Campbell spent three seasons of his career in Green Bay, his most viral moments in the league came last year, when he inexplicably seemed to quit the San Francisco 49ers mid-game and refused to play mid-way through a game versus the Los Angeles Rams. Although the incident occurred in December, Campbell waited until several months later to address it, making viral, vulgar comments on the situation via Twitter.
Former Packer De’Vondre Campbell Breaks Silence on Viral Incident
On December 12, 2024, Campbell played what might be his final NFL snaps. A member of the San Francisco 49ers, the veteran linebacker, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, stated that he “he didn’t want to play today” in the third quarter and refused to go in.
Kyle Shanahan said LB De’Vondre Campbell refused to play vs. the Rams.
The veteran linebacker left the game during the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/OxHnZvFhCp
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 13, 2024
Campbell was quickly cut from the team following the loss, with former teammates weighing in and calling him out for being unprofessional and being a “sucker.” Campbell has not played a down for any NFL team since. Media members, former players, and more chimed in on the viral incident after the game, but Campbell himself made no response to any of the criticism until February 2025, where he opted for an expletive-filled rant on Twitter to address the moment.
Listen, I’m sick of all you b***h a** n****s jumping under my tweets. It’s been 2 months and I have yet to address the situation cause I know the truth and don’t care to clear anything up. I’m by myself ALL the time if you or any of them b***h a** n****s from the 49ers feel some type of way go wit ya move when you see me cause all them n****s that had so much to say about me gone have to stand on them words next time I see them I been standing on business my whole life and it’s gone be like that until the day I’m 6ft under p***y a** n****s don’t know me
Campbell adamantly backed himself but also did not offer clarity behind the reason for the occurrence. He seems content to move forward without publicly defending his decisions.
leaves the field after getting injured against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Looking Back at De’Vondre Campbell’s Packers Career
Campbell spent three years in Green Bay and was a decent player. He started 40 games and had over 300 total tackles. In 2022, Campbell was an All-Pro and one of the most productive linebackers in the league.
Following the 2023-24 season, Campbell was released by the team, a decision that the linebacker was evidently frustrated by. Although he publicly stated that Green Bay was the “best organization” he had played for, he also stated that he had “lost ALL respect” for the coaching staff. The cited the team’s lack of transparency on his future, complaining that they had publicly said that he was part of their plans moving forward shortly before he was informed that he would be released, The Packers saved over $10 million by the decision.
Campbell has been a good player throughout his career, but clearly has a pension for drama that few teams will likely be willing to put up with. It’s likely that the former Packer has seen the last of his time in the NFL.
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