4 NFL players who quit on their teams midgame, from De’Vondre Campbell to Antonio Brown

Some players have really quit in the middle of games.

It’s a rare but wild situation for all involved: a player in the middle of an NFL game suddenly quits on the team and leaves for the locker room.

The head coach is left without words — or, very strong words — and teammates are usually irate, and rightfully so.

Well, as of publishing this, it’s happened for a fourth documented time, with San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell apparently refusing to come back into a game on a Thursday night in Week 15 of the 2024 season. He then headed for the locker room later in the contest.

Who else pulled this move? Let’s run through them:

Mike Wallace

Nov 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace (11) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports 

The receiver was with the Dolphins in 2014 and apparently refused to take the field and was benched. Wallace denied it and played more in the NFL beyond that year.

Vontae Davis

Sep 16, 2018; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive back Vontae Davis (22) and defensive back Micah Hyde (23) celebrate making a stop on third down during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports 

The late cornerback pulled himself out of a Buffalo Bills game in 2018 and basically retired right then. It was something teammates talked about after.

Antonio Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (81) on the field before the game against the New York Jets during the second half at MetLife Stadium.

In 2022, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout stripped off his top and danced his way off the field against the New York Jets. That was that for the receiver with the Bucs and in the NFL.

De’Vondre Campbell

The Niners linebacker refused to go into the game against the Rams and left for the locker room in the fourth quarter.

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Ravens WR Marquise Brown achieves first 1,000-yard season

Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown broke 1,000 yards for the 2021 season in Week 18 against the Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens have had one of the most trying seasons in franchise history in 2021. They’ve dealt with countless injuries, a COVID outbreak and multiple close losses in a row that have them looking in from the outside in the playoff race. However, there have been some positives throughout the year.

In Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore wide receiver Marquise Brown achieved his first 1000-yard season in just his third year in the NFL.  Mike Wallace was the last Ravens receiver to have a 1000-yard season, coming in 2016. The first drafted wide receiver in Ravens history to achieve 1000-yards in a season was Torrey Smith in 2013. Smith also achieved this feat in his third season.

The future is looking bright for Baltimore’s wide receiver room after so many years of struggling to draft and develop at the position. The offense is going to keep growing with the likes of Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, and even tight end Mark Andrews as premier pass catchers.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews makes franchise history with 8-yard TD catch

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews became the first tight end in team history to have a 1,000 receiving yards season.

The Baltimore Ravens got off to a hot start on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, scoring a touchdown on their second drive of the game. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews hauled in a 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Huntley, making history, as he became the first Ravens player at his position to have 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

Andrews’ 1,000-yard season also marked the team’s first 1,000 yard receiver since former Baltimore wideout Mike Wallace did so in 2016.

The Ravens have been blessed with great tight ends throughout the team’s 25 year history. Andrews should be on the ballot as one of Baltimore’s MVP when the season ends, as he’s taken his game to another level in 2021.

Former Steelers WR tells Eric Ebron playing in Pittsburgh is ‘football Heaven’

There are few franchises better for football and its players than the Steelers.

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Most players who spend any time with the Pittsburgh Steelers say it is one of the best experiences in the NFL. Many former players who go on to play elsewhere often return after retirement where they remain endeared to the city and the fanbase.

New Steelers tight end Eric Ebron sent out the tweet above about playing in Pittsburgh and a face from the past joined in to let him know just how great it is playing for the Steelers.

Former Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace called playing in Steelers “football Heaven” and this isn’t an uncommon opinion. Wallace spent her first four seasons with the Steelers and arguably had the best stretch of his career in Pittsburgh.

But Wallace, like so many others left the Steelers to chase a big payday and were never able to replicate the type of success they had in Pittsburgh. Wallace has bounced between three teams since leaving the Steelers but hey he made that money so it’s all good, right?

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Chase Claypool quickly fitting into the mold of Steelers greats

Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool is walking the walk in Pittsburgh.

When Chase Claypool was drafted this spring, it was by an organization renowned for its lineage of hard-working and productive wide receivers.

Aside from his physical traits of frame, speed and catching radius, the Steelers were attracted to Claypool’s work habits.

In his senior year, Claypool earned the University of Notre Dame Monogram Club Most Valuable Player, which honors a student-athlete who displays a strong work ethic and commitment to the team before self.

Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is excited to see that work ethic Claypool displayed at Notre Dame hasn’t missed a beat in Pittsburgh.

“That’s exciting because that isn’t an easy thing to do early for a young wide receiver,” Fichtner said. “We’ve had many really, really great wide receivers come through here and he’s right in that same mode of work-work-work, shut up. That’s how he attacks his day.”

The “great wide receivers” Fichtner is referring to are Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, all of whom Fichtner has coached over the years.

 

Hines Ward

Ward embodied the work ethic and toughness that the Steelers stand for. It’s part of what made him one of the league’s best possession receivers and blockers in the league.

He prided himself on hard work, whether it was in the film room, the weight room or on the field, and it showed in every game.

Mike Wallace

Wallace had the luxury to watch and learn from Hines Ward. With that, Wallace took the work habits that already existed in him and built upon it. Up until his unreasonable contract demands sent him packing out of Pittsburgh, his exemplary penchant for grinding was a trait the Steelers loved about him.

Antonio Brown

We can all knock Brown on his immaturity and how it ruined his (what could’ve been legendary) career. But one thing was for certain in Pittsburgh, Antonio Brown was a hard worker.

His incessant, near-OCD approach to note-taking, studying film, and keeping in football shape is part of what made him one of the best receivers in the NFL. Even with all of the receptions, all of the yards, all of the touchdowns, Brown never rested on his laurels. He possessed a constant drive to outdo himself.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

“I learned it by watching you!” Just like the Ward-Wallace mentorship before, Smith-Schuster had with Brown. His work ethic is so litty that he practices after practice, and if he messes up a set off the Juggs machine, he starts all over again. He walks that fine line between light-hearted and serious and never stumbles.

The standard…

As we know, “the standard is the standard” in Pittsburgh.

When asked to explain what his oft-used phrase means, Tomlin responded, “I don’t know.” Perhaps he’s keeping the meaning of his team’s recipe for success a secret. The phrase is important enough for the organization that it’s proudly displayed in steel on the walls of their facility.

And Chase Claypool caught on very quickly to “the standard”. Right along with his Steelers teammates, he lives it, breathes it and shows it. As long as Chase continues to do so, it needs no explanation.

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On this day: Garnett, Pierce, Terry traded; Silas, Riebe, Wallace born

On this day, the Boston Celtics dealt away the remainder of their 2008 title team to the Brooklyn Nets in one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.

On this day in 2013, the Boston Celtics dealt away the remainder of the 2008 title crew.

The Celtics traded big man Kevin Garnett, forward Paul Pierce, guard Jason Terry and forward D.J. White to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forwards Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, wing Keith Bogans, guard MarShon Brooks, forward Kris Joseph, three future first round draft picks and the right to swap first round picks in the 2017 NBA draft.

The move put an end to a 15-season career with the team for Pierce, and six for Garnett: Terry and White had played just one season each with Boston.

One of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, the Celtics would begin using the haul to rebuild immediately, and were only out of the playoffs for a single season after one of the better jobs rebuilding a program after its core aged out in recent league memory.

An uncertain future for JuJu Smith-Schuster in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t seem like they will make it a priority to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster to a new contract any time soon.

From Emmanuel Sanders to Mike Wallace, the Steelers have a history of letting go of top wide receiver talent. I didn’t lump Antonio Brown in there for obvious reasons.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is in the final year of his contract, which begs the question of whether the Steelers will re-sign him or let him hit the free-agent market.

Multiple injuries and the loss of Ben Roethlisberger affected Smith-Schuster’s chances to produce as he did his first two seasons. With 2020 being a contract year, it’s expected that the receiver will return to form.

If the Steelers select a WR in this year’s draft and/or James Washington or Diontae Johnson have breakout seasons, it’ll be that much easier for the Steelers to bid adieu to Smith-Schuster.

Because of Smith-Schuster’s 2019 numbers, he doesn’t have much leverage to negotiate this offseason, and the Steelers have shown they don’t negotiate during the regular season. Smith-Schuster’s future with the Steelers will likely hang in the balance until the spring of 2021.

I would like to see the Steelers keep Smith-Schuster around, but if he has a career season in 2020, the price tag may be a bit too rich for the Steelers’ blood.

Former Dolphins WR weighs in on Ryan Tannehill’s resurgence

Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace weighed in last night on Titans QB Ryan Tannehill’s career resurgence outside Miami.

There are Dolphins fans who feel all kinds of ways about the career revival we’ve seen from former Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill over the course of the last three months in Tennessee. Some fans are happy for someone who, by all accounts, is a great person to finally find the success that eluded him for seven years in Miami. Others are disheartened that Tannehill’s success comes the moment he leaves Miami. And others still seem to use it as their latest excuse to be angry with the Dolphins organization.

The fact of the matter is this — there were a lot of variables at play that contributed to Ryan Tannehill never getting over the playoff hump in Miami. His own limitations were certainly a part of the mix. So, too, was Miami’s failure during the Joe Philbin years to surround him with a quality offensive line or effective coaches.

Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace weighed in last night — and it wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement for Joe Philbin, Jeff Ireland or Mike Sherman.

Wallace played with Miami in 2013 and 2014 — two seasons that saw the Dolphins go a combined 16-16 on the field. Over those two seasons, Miami lost 7 games by less than a touchdown — including Joe Philbin’s infamous “queasy” game against the Green Bay Packers.

The silver lining for Dolphins fans? After the disarray of the Joe Philbin and Adam Gase tenures in Miami, the Dolphins seem to have fixed their biggest problem. Coaching and culture go a long way in consistently having a competitive program — and the Dolphins seem to have knocked their latest hire out of the park. So while the Miami Dolphins of the 2010s very well may have been a “toxic” program, the folks established in leadership positions with the Dolphins now are going to prevent talent is accentuated instead of wasted going forward.

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