49ers’ George Kettle calls teammate “selfish” for leaving during game

A disappointing season for the San Francisco 49ers went from bad to worse.

During the team’s crucial showdown against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Dec. 12, linebacker De Wonder Campbell Said to enter the game in the third quarter.

However, Campbell, 31, refused to take the field.

In the fourth quarter, Campbell – currently in his ninth NFL season and first with the 49ers – was seen leaving the field with a towel over his head.

“He said he didn’t want to play today,” the 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game.

The 49ers, ravaged by injuries all season, planned to insert Campbell into the game in place of the injured Dre GreenlawHe left the game with knee pain. Greenlaw, 27, made his first appearance since injuring his Achilles on the sideline in the Super Bowl in February.

That 49ers plan apparently didn’t sit well with Campbell, whose teammates ripped him in the locker room after the game.

“I’m a leader on the team, and if it’s something that’s a distraction on the sideline, I’d be happy to speak my mind right now,” 49ers tight end George Kittel told reporters. “We’ve been through this moment. So, it doesn’t matter what I wish I could have said or I wish I could have done, but I don’t like side distractions. I think it’s ignorance. I think it’s just dumb. It’s just stupid, and it’s very immature. I just I don’t understand how you could do such a thing to your team.”

Kittel, 31, added, “This is one person making a selfish decision. I’ve never been around anyone who did that, and I hope I’ll never be around someone who does that again.”

The blunt sentiment shared by Keetel was shared by the 49ers Ward Shervarius.

“He’s a pro,” Ward, 28, told reporters. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he didn’t have to get dressed. He could have told them that before the game. I feel like that was some kind of scam – that he did. It definitely hurt the team.”

Ward added, “He’ll probably get cut soon, so that’s what there is to it.”

The 49ers did not immediately announce any disciplinary action for Campbell. When Nahan, 44, was asked if Campbell would be released, he said, “We’ll find something.”

San Francisco lost 12-6 to Los Angeles, effectively killing their playoff hopes just one season after going to overtime in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.