De'Vondre Campbell just proved the 49ers were absolutely justified in suspending him after his midseason decision to quit on the team.
Soon-to-be former San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell probably just needs to stay quiet.
Along with injuries, Campbell's fiasco helped define the Niners' frustrating 6-11 campaign in 2024. For those who can't recall, the one-time first-team All-Pro joined San Francisco as a free-agent fill-in to alleviate the injury loss of star linebacker Dre Greenlaw last offseason.
Once Greenlaw made his 2024 debut late in the year during a must-win game against the Los Angeles Rams, Campbell apparently felt slighted by a demotion to the bench and subsequently refused to enter the Week 15 game after Greenlaw had to exit because of another injury. As a result, the 49ers sent the disgruntled veteran to the locker room, which was then followed by many of his teammates calling him out for "quitting" on them in-game.
Campbell was suspended for the rest of the season shortly thereafter.
This isn't the first time Campbell had run-ins with teams. His departure from the Green Bay Packers the offseason prior to joining the Niners wasn't particularly pretty, so the reputation of being something of a headache had already been established.
Factor in the vitriol from his teammates, especially cornerback Charvarius Ward, it's not hard to see why Campbell could have difficulty landing a new job in the NFL in 2025 and beyond once he becomes a free agent.
One might think Campbell would eventually show some remorse, perhaps simply explaining his rationale and what was going through his head at the time of his in-game exit. Some accountability would have been nice.
Nope.
De'Vondre Campbell goes off on NSFW rant that justifies 49ers' decision to suspend him
It's been several weeks since San Francisco's season came to a close after failing to make the playoffs, and it's been even longer since Campbell was suspended.
However, in response to some fans' prodding on Twitter/X, Campbell went off on a tirade that doesn't exactly do himself any favors.
Note: NSFW language is part of the social media post.
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 I really be sparing niggas 🤫. I play because I WANT TO. https://t.co/vZzcvJL35j
— De'Vondre Campbell (@Came_Along_Way) February 21, 2025
"I ain’t addressing s--t," Campbell posted. "I’m rich and never have to work another day of my life and I told Kyle Shannahan (sic) and John Lynch that when they FaceTime me and begged me to come out there an hour after Green Bay cut me I really be sparing n---s . I play because I WANT TO."
The post wasn't the only one in response to fans calling him out.
It's safe to say the 49ers will look at this post and feel fully justified in their decision to suspend Campbell for conduct detrimental to the team, which blocked him from signing elsewhere had he been released instead.
Furthermore, 31 other teams are certainly taking note of the rant and complete lack of accountability, too.
While no one but Campbell can truly say what was going on in his head, both back in Week 15 and in the time leading up to his social media tirade, an easy assumption is he probably didn't do himself any favors by speaking out in such a way.
For the Niners, they'll just be happy to have wiped their hands clean of the mess.