The San Francisco 49ers were barely hanging on in the playoff race, and desperately needed a win Thursday night to stay afloat.
And in the second half of a tight game, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell decided he was done playing.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told media after the game that Campbell, a nine-year veteran for the 49ers who had started 12 of 13 games this season before Thursday night, told the team he didn't want to play. Campbell left to the locker room in the second half.
"He said he didn't want to play today," Shanahan said.
Shanahan was asked if Campbell told that to the coaching staff.
"He did when I asked him why he didn't want to go in," Shanahan said.
Campbell's playing time had been getting cut each of the last three weeks, but last week he still played 64.1% of the 49ers' defensive snaps. On Thursday night he 49ers got Dre Greenlaw back from an Achilles injury he suffered during last season's Super Bowl while running onto the field from the sideline. Greenlaw started and had a fantastic first half. Greenlaw missed snaps in the second half, and that's presumably when the 49ers asked Campbell, relegated to reserve duty with Greenlaw back, to go in. Shanahan said he refused.
It's reminiscent of the Vontae Davis story. Davis was a veteran Buffalo Bills cornerback, and at halftime of a 2018 game he said he had decided to retire and left.
Campbell came into the game with 79 tackles and for most of the season he had been a full-time player for the 49ers. After Thursday night, it's likely he won't be on the 49ers the rest of the season.