De’Vondre Campbell on quitting on 49ers: I’m rich and never have to work again

Campbell left the team’s Week 15 game and did not return

By Sean Leahy

San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refused to play and walked off the sideline in the middle of a game in Week 15, resulting in the 49ers suspending him for the rest of the season. Campbell did not explain himself until Friday, when he unleashed a rant on social media.

Campbell’s rant still didn’t explain why he left the team, but he did suggest that he’s content being done with the NFL after playing nine seasons and making about $40 million.

“I ain’t addressing shit. I’m rich and never have to work another day of my life and I told Kyle Shannahan and John Lynch that when they FaceTime me and begged me to come out there an hour after Green Bay cut me,” Campbell wrote.

Campbell was a starter for the 49ers for most of last season, until Dre Greenlaw returned from an Achilles injury and took Campbell’s spot in the starting lineup. That apparently angered Campbell enough that he decided he wasn’t going to play again — but waited until the middle of a game to tell the 49ers that.

Campbell’s strange actions have probably ensured that no NFL team will want him again, but if he has invested his $40 million wisely, he’s right that he never has to work another day of his life.