San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir torched teammate De’Vondre Campbell after the linebacker was suspended for his refusal to enter their game last week.
The 49ers suspended Campbell for three games over the incident. Lenoir did not hold back when he was asked his thoughts about it on Monday.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, #2, is introduced before the start of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium on Dec 12, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
“When he first got signed, I was thinking in my head, like, we got another guy we can add to the defense who can contribute,” Lenoir recalled, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “For that to happen, and him to do that, I just lost all respect.”
Campbell had been brought onto the team in the offseason as fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw healed up from a torn Achilles suffered in the Super Bowl.
Greenlaw returned for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams but started to feel soreness in his Achilles in the third quarter. When the 49ers told Campbell to enter the game, he refused.
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San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, #59, plays during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots on Sept. 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Lenoir said he thought it was “crazy” to quit on the team while they were in the trenches.
“I’d never be a part of something like that. I got too much love for the game, too much pride to even tell the coach I’m not going into the game,” Lenoir said. “I’m a person who’s going 110% every play. So if I’m hurt and the guy behind me is not backing me up and can’t go in or don’t want to go in, I feel like that’s being a cancer to the team.”
It has been one of those years for San Francisco. The team had high hopes going into the season with Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk re-signed. However, offseason turmoil seeped into the regular season with losses piling up.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, #2, flexes before the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium on Oct 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
The 49ers are now 6-8 and on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.
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