Simone Biles is a legend, no doubt about it, but even legends hit a rough patch. Back at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, everyone thought she’d be on top of the world, but instead, she ran into a wall with the “twisties.” During the team competition, she went for her usual Amanar vault but nearly lost her footing. It was a real wake-up call, and she knew she couldn’t fake it. So, she made the tough call to step back from the team finals and said she needed to focus on her mental health. That decision stirred up a hornet’s nest, with people second-guessing her every move. Fast forward three years and another athlete faces the same hurdle, and suddenly, people compare the two. It’s like deja vu all over again.

During Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers were in a tough spot. By the middle of the third quarter, their linebacker corps was taking a hit with Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters both dealing with injuries. The team turned to De’Vondre Campbell, hoping the veteran would step in and help out. But to everyone’s surprise, Campbell flat-out refused. Instead of taking the field when Greenlaw went down, Campbell chose not to play at all. To make matters worse, he walked off to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a towel over his head, never playing a single snap.

The plan was for Campbell to take over from Greenlaw due to the latter’s knee soreness, but Campbell had no interest in that at all. This decision, however, received a lot of criticism from many teammates. Some like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa did not know much about this and hence did not comment while others were quite outspoken about it. However, George Kittle expressed his anger and said that it was “selfish” and “immature” on Campbell’s part.

De’Vondre Campbell has played in 12 out of the first 13 games of the 49ers and has been a key player in their defense. But with Greenlaw back in the team, Campbell’s role had already been diminished and this is where things got messy for Campbell. Shanahan’s cryptic comment about “figuring something out” can also be seen as Campbell’s departure from the Niners which might not be for the longest time. But the whole situation was brought into a different light when Ari Meirov tweeted on X, stating that Campbell informed the team that he no longer wanted to play and thus left the field in the third quarter. This triggered a whole new set of reactions and when Rhonda Y. Williams, the founder of Social Justice Institute, joined in, things got even more interesting.

Williams connected Campbell’s case to Simone Biles’ withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics and expressed concerns about the society’s lack of understanding and support. She asked, “What an interesting time we live in. Without any real details, we talk about this man’s fate so callously. The same happened when Simone Biles decided to take some time away. Are we a society that has lost the capacity for empathy and compassion and to seek understanding?” The fans weren’t slow in coming up with their responses and mocking Williams’ comments while at the same time making it very obvious that they did not appreciate such comparisons in any way.

Fan outrage over Campbell’s walkout vs. Simone Biles’ mental health decision

One fan didn’t hold back, saying, “Dude left during a game lol. If Simone finished half her routine, then walked off while the music was still playing people woulda flipped their shit.” And while it’s a fair point to bring up, comparing what happened with Simone Biles in Tokyo to what Campbell did in the NFL isn’t exactly apples to apples.

Let’s rewind to August 1st, 2021, during the Artistic Gymnastics women’s team finals. The U.S. team was expected to dominate on vault, their strongest event. Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, was supposed to perform her usual Amanar-  a back-flipping vault with 2.5 twists. But instead, she did a simpler vault with just 1.5 twists, stumbling on the landing. Even in warm-ups, Biles was struggling, bailing mid-air, completing only 1.5 twists, and feeling off. She later explained she was experiencing the “twisties,” a mental block that made her feel disconnected from her body.

Simone didn’t quit, though. She stayed with her team but decided to withdraw from the team finals to protect her mental health. Now, contrast that with De’Vondre Campbell. When the 49ers needed him the most he chose not to step up without any effort.  It’s easy to understand why fans were upset with Campbell’s decision—he made a conscious choice to step away when his team was counting on him.

Another fan chimed in, saying, “The man was pissed cause Dre came back and took his spot! It’s not the same as the gymnastics person you speak of.” Here, the fan is pointing to Dre Greenlaw, who had come back from an Achilles injury that he had back in last year’s Super Bowl. Greenlaw went into the starting linebacker role that De’Vondre Campbell had been playing while he was out, which affected Campbell’s playing time and usage. This obviously could have been the reason as to why Campbell was frustrated, but that is no justification for him walking away at a time when the team required him.

Another fan fired back, saying, “You don’t walk out on your teammates…. NEVER.. There’s no empathy for thatThen don’t sign the contract. He’s not a rookie, he knows how the drill. Don’t take the roster spot from someone who wants it. The situation he refused to play in could have been someone else’s dream, their big break. Their opportunity to get to where Campbell is in life.” Another fan added, “His fate? My God…. No one wants to execute him. Just think he’s a selfish pampered millionaire who should go get a normal job and try and pull that.” And one more person was blunt: “Bullshit; he quit mid game; you have to be kidding me.”

When there’s this much rage being thrown around, you can tell that the gymnastics and NFL fanbases are both hot about these issues. Yeah, maybe we will never know why Campbell did it, but it is different from what Simone Biles did. Biles opted out for reasons concerning her mental health, but Campbell needed to walk off apparently due to anger.