San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said it’s a “miracle” rookie Ricky Pearsall is recovering days after the team said the player was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery.
“He’s the toughest person I know, just going through a situation like that,” Shanahan told reporters on Thursday, speaking out for the first time on the incident. “We always felt this way watching him on the football field and things like that, but kind of to watch how he handled that situation and watch how he’s been every day since, it shows how special the guy is.”
Pearsall, 23, was seen at practice on Thursday, standing on the field in street clothes holding a football and watching the wide receiver drills, as the team prepared for Monday night’s season opener against the New York Jets.
The athlete “sustained a bullet wound to his chest” during an attempted robbery on Saturday in San Francisco’s Union Square, the San Francisco 49ers said in a statement. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and is expected to make a full recovery.
On Monday, the National Football League added the player to the reserve/non-football injury list, meaning he will miss at least four games of the season, according to ESPN.
“I think each day the mental part becomes more a big deal, you know, the adrenaline and just surviving that,” the coach said. “Ricky’s saying stuff … like, I still think I could play versus the Jets.”
“It’s just like, dude, what are you talking about?” Shanahan continued.
On the recovery, Shanahan said Pearsall “wants to go a week or so without trying to work up a sweat” and then will start rehab.
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