Rookie NFL player Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during a botched robbery over the weekend. He’d been shopping in San Francisco, where he was drafted by the 49ers in the first round this year, after an autograph signing.
A teenager armed with a semi-automatic reportedly attacked Pearsall in an attempt to steal his watch. He has since been charged with attempted murder and robbery.
When fellow 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing first heard the news on social media, he didn’t immediately believe it.
“I tried to contact him to see if he was OK, if the rumors were fake or they were true,” Cowing told the New York Times. “I didn’t hear anything back, so at that moment my adrenaline started going up a little bit.”
Hours later, on Saturday night, teammates received the uplifting news that Pearsall was in stable condition. The bullet had miraculously exited through his back without hitting any internal organs or ribs.
Over the weekend, Pearsall even made a (virtual) appearance at the 49ers annual team party via FaceTime. Then, on Monday, he showed up at work to visit his teammates and check in with medical staff. Despite the trauma he endured days prior, Pearsall was said to be his usual cheery self.
“It was great to see him in the building, and I was actually kind of shocked myself, seeing him in the building that fast,” said Cowing. “It says a lot about his character: No matter what kind of setback he’s thrown in his life, he’s still gonna show up and be who he is.”
The team’s general manager, John Lynch, added, “Multiple people (at San Francisco General Hospital) said this is about as good an outcome as you could have in this situation.”
Pearsall is on the reserve/non-football injury list, which disallows him from playing in at least the first four games of the season. Health allowing, he’ll be eligible to play in just over a month—right in time for the team’s fifth game against the Cardinals.
While this seems like a shockingly quick return to football, it isn’t the first story of its kind. In 2022, armed robbers shot Brian Robinson Jr. of the Washington Commanders twice in the kneecap. Six weeks later, he was back on the field.
“I knew I was lucky to be alive,” Robinson said recently about surviving the shooting. “We’re talking about gunshots. People die from gunshots. One shot. Anywhere. It can be in the strangest place on your body, and you can die from it. So, to take two, there’s no way I can think that I’m not blessed to make it out of there.”
The post 49ers Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery—Then Shows Up to Work on Monday appeared first on VICE.
The post 49ers Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery—Then Shows Up to Work on Monday appeared first on VICE.
