San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell delivered a thinly veiled threat to Bills receiver Mack Hollins for pulling on his dreadlocks during Sunday’s blowout loss.
The hair-pulling happened early in the fourth quarter when Buffalo ran a pass play from the Niners’ 8-yard line. Quarterback Josh Allen scrambled to his right, and as he approached the end zone, Campbell turned his attention from his assignment, Hollins, and toward the player running with the ball. When the San Francisco linebacker turned away, Hollins tugged at Campbell’s exposed hair to stop him in his tracks.
All the 31-year-old could do was gesture at Hollins to the officials, but nothing came of it. Allen scored the touchdown and put the Bills up 35-10, the eventual final score.
San Francisco Chronicle reporter Eric Branch reported on Campbell’s quotes Wednesday. It wasn’t the first time this had happened to the linebacker, Campbell said, but the way it happened really angered him. (SFGATE and the Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)
“He did that s— on purpose,” Campbell said. “He can’t tell me he didn’t. It’s all good, though. We’re going to cross paths one day in the real world.”
In case that wasn’t clear enough, Campbell then clarified that it’s on sight if he encounters the Bill in person.
“Just so he knows, if I ever see him, it’s on,” he said. “He’s got to see me.”
“One day, we’re going to cross paths,” Campbell repeated.
Campbell’s comments are certainly more fight than the Niners showed on Sunday. You can read Branch’s full story here.