49ers linebacker leaves 'TNF,' telling coaches he did not want to play

Campbell is in his first year with the 49ers and had been starting all season in place of Greenlaw. But Greenlaw was finally able to return to the lineup on Thursday night after he was injured in last season's Super Bowl.

That apparently did not sit well with Campbell.

His decision also did not go over well with his teammates. Defensive back Charvarious Ward was especially critical.

This is a pretty stunning move from a nine-year veteran. Not only has Campbell spent nearly a decade in the league and started 122 games, he has also been an extremely successful player and was even a first-team All-Pro back in 2021 as a member of the Green Bay Packers. 

While this type of thing is extremely rare, it is not completely unheard of.

Back in 2018 defensive back Vontae Davis decided in the middle of a game that he simply did not belong on a football field anymore and decided to walk away from the game.

During the 2021 season wide receiver Antonio Brown famously refused to re-enter a game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New York Jets and made a spectacle of his exit by removing his uniform on the field as he ran into the locker room. 

This was not quite that dramatic, but it is still another bizarre chapter in what has been a wildly disappointing season for the 49ers. After Thursday's game they are 6-8 and saw their playoff chances pretty much go away entirely.