Star 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel still is recovering from pneumonia that sidelined him during San Francisco’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend at Levi's Stadium.
He spent Sunday through Tuesday in the hospital with liquid in his lungs but is cautiously progressing before San Francisco’s Week 8 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”
“Honestly, like, I really couldn’t breathe, for real,” Samuel told reporters on Friday. “I didn’t really know what was wrong until after the game.”
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Living, let alone sprinting while wearing shoulder pads and a helmet, has been difficult for the 28-year-old. But Samuel knew something was especially wrong when not even adrenaline could give him energy during pre-game warmups before the highly anticipated Super Bowl LVIII rematch.
“Probably when I went out to pre-game warmups and I had no energy to run or anything for a while,” Samuel said. “Then, I came in and we tried to do a little IV [to] get a little energy. Gladly, we found it right after the game and everything else as well.
“Yeah, it was scary, because it was kind of hard to breathe, for real. You can’t take deep breaths.”
Deep breaths are essential for any athlete. It was smart for Samuel to reassess rather than play sickly.
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Fortunately for Samuel, he is in a much better state ahead of the 49ers' Week 8 matchup with the Cowboys, claiming to have “felt good” at recent practices, a promising sign.
The hospital stay, though, wasn’t as positive. Samuel didn’t love the doctor’s office, but he did play video games to distract himself.
“I have hospital anxiety,” Samuel said. “I don’t like being in the hospital. But whatever it took for me to get better, you know I’m all for it. Those two days in there, it was cool. I had my brother in there [and] bring my game. I was really just in there chilling, getting all the treatment that I needed.”
San Francisco missed Samuel’s production last Sunday. He should be nearing a return, considering coach Kyle Shanahan listed him as questionable for the 49ers-Cowboys game earlier on Friday.
Samuel has been known for his strength and speed throughout his six-year NFL career. Those traits have been evident in his recovery from pneumonia.