De’Vondre Campbell’s Football Career in Question After Refusing to Play, Ryan Clark Says There’s No Excuse [Video]

After the snore fest on Thursday night football, the Los Angeles Rams won 12-6 over the San Francisco 49ers. The game was defensive-oriented, and star linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned after an Achilles injury in the Super Bowl last season, giving San Francisco fans a little hope early.

Greenlaw started the game in place of linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and was impactful in the first half. However, Greenlaw began to suffer from some left knee soreness, and Campbell was asked to go into the game. He refused, and his teammates were in disbelief after the game, and they were vocal.

“It’s hard to win football games when someone doesn’t want to play football,” team captain George Kittle said. “I think that’s ignorant. And I think it’s just dumb. It’s just stupid and it’s very immature. I just don’t see how you could do something like that to your team.”

Cornerback and another team leader, Charvarius Ward, said Campbell shouldn’t have put his jersey on at all.

“That’s some sucka sh*t, it definitely hurt the team.,” said Ward. This is his third game since the death of his one-year-old daughter.

NFL players play this game to escape their real-life problems, and it seems Campbell’s immature act has affected his rapport with his teammates. He will most likely be suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and receive a fine.

ESPN’s Ryan Clark voiced his opinion on the awkward situation last night on ESPN. He mentioned how much Campbell lacked awareness of what Greenlaw’s return did for the confidence of the overall team and how he squandered an opportunity to help this defense get back to playing at a high level like they were last year. He also was on a one-year deal to fill the void of Greenlaw, and some, including Clark, say that he should have been more of a professional.

“I don’t give a damn about that because it is a competitive and competitive sport is it not only about what you have done as an individual but the guy you’re competing against,” Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up. “And I’m not talking about the Los Angeles Rams I’m talking about Dre Greenlaw as great as Fred Warner is everyone in that locker room felt like Greenlaw was actually the heartbeat of this defense. He’s the heartbeat of this team when you watch the beginning of the game there was no player that popped more than the number 57 so if you’re De’Vondre Campbell, you have to be able to see that right and you also missed the fact that if I’m De’Vondre Campbell, I’m not only planning to show that I could be a valuable part of the San Francisco 49ers who may be over in New York. We may be over in Miami.

I could be a valuable piece to their locker room that is not just about my former all-pro years and what I can do on the grass. It’s about the leadership that I could provide in the locker room about some sort of sort of character, entitled people that nobody my thing my big thing freak my big thing to say that I’m better are you not treating me the right way to go out put the film on look at 57 looks at 59 and tell me who played better and he also has to remember he has no deposit the San Francisco 49ers emotional bank account. Greenlaw has all of those if you remember when that man was running off the sideline and tore his Achilles not only were the San Francisco 49ers dejected. The first thing number of the Kansas City Chiefs on the other side is Greenlaw. That’s the sort of man that you were replacing and you did a good job.”

That was well said, and it’s the epitome of not reading the room. It’s embarrassing and frustrating for all parties.