De'Vondre Campbell quitting on his team is actually kind of hilarious when you think about it
This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forwarad this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Happy Friday!
De’Vondre Campbell just took quiet quitting to a whole new level, folks.
Surely you’ve heard that the 49ers linebacker told Kyle Shanahan that he didn’t feel like playing football last night. He headed into the locker room right after, knowing he’d never play a snap for the 49ers again.
HIS TEAM HATES HIM: Here’s everything we know about Campbell quitting on his team
On the one hand? I can’t blame the guy. The field looked disgusting! And the 49ers are not very good. Bashing your head in on a yucky field while playing for a yucky team has to be a nightmare.
On the other hand, quitting on your team stinks. Especially in the middle of a game.
But it is pretty funny, though!
I’ve been wondering all morning at what moment during last night’s 49ers-Rams game did De’Vondre Campbell decide, “You know what? Nah. I’m good.”
It must’ve been before Kyle Shanahan asked him to spell Dre Greenlaw in the fourth quarter. Way before that. My guy quit with conviction. Shanahan said Campbell told him “he didn’t want to play today,” before walking off. I don’t know about y’all, but to me, that’s someone who came into the game knowing they weren’t going to play today. He was just waiting for his moment!
He’d known all game that the very second that whenever Kyle Shanahan walked up to him to say, “Buddy, can you get in there?” he was going to pull one of these numbers:
I mean, come on. That’s hilarious. Pure comedy.
Don’t act like you didn’t laugh when Antonio Brown (blegh) took his pads off and shimmied off the field without a care in the world? There was also that time that Vontae Davis (may he RIP) retired mid-game. He didn’t just quit — he retired! What a legend.
Campbell goes into that group. The pantheon of dudes who’d just decided they’d had enough.
Campbell might not ever play a down in the NFL again after this. I can’t imagine this will go over well in other places around the league.
If this is his last NFL moment, at least it was a good one. Well, for us, anyway.
Caleb Williams is broken
Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
The Bears stink that much. Caleb Williams looks so sad talking about how bad the team’s current 7-game losing streak is.
https://twitter.com/BearsMarquee/status/1867286286244909097
Here’s Robert Zeglinski with more on the situation with Chicago’s QB:
“As a high school football player in the Washington, D.C., area, Caleb Williams took his team to a championship. While in college with USC, Williams never quite took the Trojans to such lofty heights, but he did win 23 of 33 career games while also taking home the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
The Bears are a different story. The Bears, led by overmatched general manager Ryan Poles, are a poorly-oiled machine that only produces pain and angst. The Bears — and their rampant losing in the most preventable ways — are something that Williams apparently wasn’t prepared for.
You gotta feel for the kid for clearly having more hope coming into the league.
Alas, the Bears will do that to you.”
When you come from winning, it’s hard to lose. Especially when you lose a lot.
The Bears have to turn this around. I never want to see Caleb Williams this sad again.
Juan Soto really hated the Yankees, huh?
It’s been pretty clear that Juan Soto didn’t really enjoy his time with the Yankees all that much. It only took $5 million more for the Mets to pry him away.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you that he doesn’t like the Yankees like that, then maybe his introductory press conference with the Mets will.
Soto was asked if he’d been in contact with any of his former teammates. His response? “I haven’t talked to any of those guys.
This doesn’t really come as a surprise. The Yankees didn’t really seem to want him that much, either?
Andrew Joseph has more on the vibes from the end of Soto’s Yankees tenure here:
“Soto — who helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009 — decided to sign with the crosstown rivals for a 15-year, $765 million deal. Given how crucial Soto was to the Yankees’ success in 2024, one might have expected more of a recruitment effort from players like Aaron Judge or Gerrit Cole. But that wasn’t the case at all.”
Clearly, the feelings of apathy are mutual here.
Photo Friday: Ever wondered what it was like to be a hockey puck?
*** BESTPIX *** ELMONT, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 10: The New York Islanders defend the net against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at UBS Arena on December 10, 2024 in Elmont, New York. The Kings defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I imagine it probably looks something like this.
Quick hits: OBJ, please retire … Best bets of Week 15 … and more
— Meg Hall is trying to convince Odell Beckham Jr. to retire. I’m with her.
— Here are our best best for Week 15 in the NFL from Christian D’Andrea. Tap in.
— Bill Belichick says he didn’t write a 400-page book of demands for UNC. No one should believe him.
— De’Vondre Campbell’s teammates are ripping him for quitting in the middle of a game. Charles Curtis has more.
— Here’s Nick Swartz with winners from The Game Awards on Thursday.
— And Cory Woodroof has you covered with five big Oscar takeaways from the Golden Globe nominations.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend.
-Sykes