Kyle Shanahan hasn't lost 49ers locker room despite De'Vondre Campbell quitting

De'Vondre Campbell's decision to quit on the 49ers in-game isn't a good look for anyone, but it's not an indictment against Kyle Shanahan.

When a player literally quits on his team, especially in the middle of a must-win game in prime time, it's never a good sign.

Frequently, it can be a signal that things aren't all right within the locker room. There's likely tension somewhere, perhaps between certain players and the head coach or whatever. Factions develop, and the fractures extend far beyond things that can be contained in-house.

So, the shocking development of veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell literally deciding not to play during the San Francisco 49ers' Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football casts a long shadow over what's been a depressing and disappointing year for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co.

Effectively eliminated from the playoffs now, it might be easy to point at Shanahan and say he's beginning to lose his players, quite literally.

"I haven't lost anybody. That's somebody who doesn't want to play football," Shanahan said after the game. "That's pretty simple. I think our team, and myself, we know how we feel about that, so I don't think we need to talk about him anymore."

Still, those fractures could still be there, and Campbell might have just brought it to the surface.

However, the evidence suggests otherwise.

49ers players words, actions jive with Kyle Shanahan's sentiments on De'Vondre Campbell

It's important to note Campbell had a falling out with his previous team, the Green Bay Packers, calling them out on social media not long before joining the Niners' as a free-agent fill-in for the injured Dre Greenlaw.

So, the precedent of such behavior is there.

However, in light of Campbell's Week 15 actions, there was no shortage of players who didn't hesitate to call the veteran out for literally quitting on his team.

"Look, if you're on the roster and you suit up, you're expected to play," tight end George Kittle told reporters after the rainy showdown. "I think anyone in this building got asked to go in, I would say 100 percent of everybody would die to get on that football field."

That's coming from a team captain.

"I've never been around anybody who's ever done that, and I hope I'm never around somebody who does that again," Kittle concluded.

Additional sentiments were echoed by Campbell's defensive teammates, including cornerback Deommodore Lenoir:

Fellow corner Charvarius Ward was even more harsh in his critique of Campbell.

"That was some sucker s***," a frustrated Ward said in the locker room. "[Campbell is] probably gonna get cut soon."

Ward, who returned to the field after grieving the loss of his 1-year-old daughter to medical issues, backs up his words by playing through tragedy. Likewise, left tackle Trent Williams has remained with the team amid an ankle injury despite losing twins to pregnancy complications earlier this season.

On top of that, linebacker Fred Warner has played with a fractured ankle for much of the season, while Greenlaw endured months of arduous rehab following last February's Achilles tear in the Super Bowl just so he could get back on the field this season in an attempt to try helping his squad reach the playoffs.

All of those cornerstone players could have "quit" on Shanahan this season, and their reasons would have been far more concrete and understandable than whatever justification Campbell has.

Instead, those players' actions and words point to Shanahan still having control over the pillars within the locker room.

Campbell is the lone exception, and the rest of the roster appears to feel the same way.

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