Ricky Pearsall's road to recovery after being shot last weekend is a miracle on its own.
The 49ers rookie wide receiver was shot during an attempted armed robbery Saturday near San Francisco's Union Square, with the bullet going through his chest without damage to his vital organs.
And if the story couldn't be any more remarkable, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan added another layer that ties perfectly into the sacred situation.
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"Once everyone walked in, no one knew the exact story, so I was able to reassure everybody as soon as they got there that he was totally fine," Shanahan told reporters Thursday while recalling the 49ers' team party that same Saturday night. "It's a miracle. Where he got shot is like two inches below his tattoo with praying hands. The whole story is kind of amazing.
"But to tell everyone right when they got there, it was really cool. And then about two hours later, Ricky got on [FaceTime] and talked to everybody."
Shanahan details the miraculous location Pearsall got shot 😲 pic.twitter.com/pL5tUJ7l64
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 5, 2024
San Francisco 49ers
Chills.
Pearsall, the 49ers' 2024 first-round draft pick, will miss at least the first four games of the season. Shanahan said the plan is for Pearsall to take it easy for now before the 49ers consider his rehab and possible return timeline to the field.
Just five days after the shooting, Pearsall was back on the 49ers' practice field talking to his teammates and throwing around footballs.
“He's as tough a person I know, just going through a situation like that,” Shanahan said. “We always felt this way watching him on the football field and things like that. But to watch how he handled that situation and watch how he's been every day since, it shows how special of a guy he is.”
The 49ers placed Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list Monday. The earliest he could return to the playing field would be for the Oct. 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium in Week 5.