San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch believes rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall will fully recover after being shot last weekend during a robbery attempt.
Pearsall was shot in the chest and spent the night in the hospital after the incident in central San Francisco on Saturday. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and was back at the team facility by Monday.
The 49ers put Pearsall on the non-football injury list, which will keep him out for at least four weeks. This will allow him to recover from the shooting and a shoulder injury that had bothered him throughout the summer.
“We decided that Ricky needs some time to heal both physically and emotionally,” Lynch said on Tuesday. “When we drafted Ricky, we were thinking long-term.
We believe he will be a great player here. He was disappointed but understands the decision to put him on that list.”
Lynch mentioned that Pearsall was lucky not to have suffered more severe injuries. Pearsall was walking alone with shopping bags to his car around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday when a juvenile tried to rob him at gunpoint in the Union Square area.
Police responded quickly, provided first aid, and arrested the suspect. A witness video showed Pearsall with a large chest wound as he was taken into an ambulance.
Lynch expressed gratitude to the San Francisco police, especially Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who provided immediate help, also thanked the doctors at San Francisco General Hospital, team doctors, trainers, and support staff for their efforts to assist Pearsall during this critical time.
Lynch mentioned that there was no harm to Pearsall’s organs, nerves, or ribs, describing the injury as a “through and through.”
“Several people down there said this is about as good an outcome as you could hope for in this situation,” he said.
This positive news was far from guaranteed when Lynch first heard that Pearsall had been shot on Saturday while shopping for luggage after an autograph signing.
“The first calls I received were very alarming: ‘We believe Ricky’s been shot in the chest,’” Lynch said. “That kind of outcome is usually not favorable. It was a tough Saturday, and the trip to San Francisco General was hard. I’m just so thankful that things turned out the way they did.”
The news was shocking for his teammates, who found it upsetting not knowing immediately what had happened to Pearsall.
“It was really tough,” receiver Jauan Jennings said. “I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I was just hoping Rick was okay. Hearing the good news made my day better and made me happy knowing he’s alright and with us.”
Pearsall managed to FaceTime his teammates during a team party on Saturday night and then saw them in person when he returned to the facility on Monday.
“He’s in good spirits,” offensive lineman Aaron Banks said. “You could tell something like this would be upsetting, and he’s still working through it. But it was great to see him and have him around.”
Pearsall was picked in the first round in April by the 49ers with the 31st pick but has been dealing with injuries since joining the team.
He missed part of training camp due to hamstring and shoulder problems before coming back to practice last week while wearing a non-contact blue jersey to protect his shoulder as it heals.
Pearsall started his college career at Arizona State and then moved to Florida for his last two seasons. Last season with the Gators, he had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns. In total, he ended his college career with 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 touchdowns.
