Shunned by NFL for Quitting, Antonio Brown Defends De’Vondre Campbell Refusing To Play for 49ers Citing Past ‘Trauma’

During the week 15 loss against the Rams, the 49ers received their biggest jolt ever. It was something the HC Kyle Shanahan never expected. LB De’Vondre Campbell quit the game in the 4th quarter and left the locker room claiming he didn’t want to play. Amid the reports that the team may cut him, he has found support from a former Patriots WR.

The Steelers legend Antonio Brown extended support to the 49ers LB on X, writing, “Everybody fighting a battle that no one knows about. Walking off the field may looked upon as crazy. But everybody got their own traumas and past experiences, good & bad. Hoping the best for the kid in San Fran. Prayers Up King.” That’s surprising. But there is some truth in it. It has something to do with the LB’s time at the Packers.

In March 2022, he signed a 5-year $50 million deal with the Packers. But his frequent struggle with injuries in the 2022 and 2023 seasons left him angry. That’s when something went off as De’Vondre Campbell tweeted in 2023 that he wouldn’t play anymore with the injuries. He further wrote, “Not going out my way anymore and I’m not playing through injuries anymore cause when shit goes wrong they always use it against you. I’m treating everyone accordingly and giving them the same energy they giving me.”

During the 2024 offseason, when the Green and Gold released him, he wasn’t happy. He made his frustration known to the world by posting the message, “Someone is about to get a great football player that’s been badly misused.” Though he didn’t claim that it was aimed at his previous franchise, fans understood his complaint. But what went wrong at the 49ers?

Looks like it was all good until Dre Greenlaw came on the roster. De’Vondre Campbell started all games until Week 15, but when someone grabbed his spot, he refused to play for the Niners. Did that mentally affect him? The answer might take time as, for now, the NFL wants the franchise to shun him. And one of the former players presented his take.

Ex-NFLer reminds De’Vondre Campbell of the 49ers’ toughness

The trolling began after the game itself. His teammate, Charvarius Ward, criticized the linebacker while talking to reporters and said, “If he did not want to play, he should not have dressed out and they could have told him. So I feel like there was some suckership that did definitely hurt.” He also claimed that the team would release him and added, “Probably gonna get cut soon.” Other analysts also share the same sentiment.

Emmanuel Acho, the former NFL linebacker, went crazy on De’Vondre Campbell and reminded him of the past instances when the Niners players played despite injuries. During the December 13 episode of The Facility show, he yelled, “The 49ers are a team historically an organization of toughness. This isn’t just my word. These are players who have lived it by their actions. Ronnie Lott, a historical great, he cut off his finger just so he could play in a game.” That speaks volumes about the franchise the Niners are. But Acho’s rant didn’t stop there.

He gave examples from the current roster as well and added, “Christian McCaffrey, he had to go to Germany just to try to get on to the field. Ricky Pearsall, the first-round pick, he got shot and he played six weeks later. Fred Warner had a broken ankle and he played the entirety of the season and all you got De’Vondre Campbell is a bruised ego, that’s all you got.”

However, things might not go down for the linebacker now. According to the NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the team is looking at the different ways they can cut him. He claimed either they would suspend him or release him from the roster. That might give Campbell some time to think about the mistake he made.

He should have given thought to the money an NFL player makes. Many athletes work hard their entire life but don’t get the chance. Quitting on your teammates would never leave a good impression. Even if he wanted, there were better ways to do it.