Rookie NFL player Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest over the weekend. He was shopping in San Francisco, where he was drafted by the 49ers in the first round this year after signing an autograph.
A teenager armed with a semi-automatic Pearsall allegedly assaulted 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 is okay, if the rumors are fake or if they are true,” Cowing told the New York Times. “I didn’t hear anything back, so at that point my adrenaline started going up a little bit.”
Hours later, on Saturday night, teammates received the exciting news that Pearsall was in stable condition. The bullet miraculously exited his back without hitting any internal organs or ribs.
Over the weekend, Pearsall also 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 had endured days earlier, Pearsall was said to be his usual jovial self.
“It was great to see him in the building, and I was actually kind of shocked, to see him in the building so quickly,” Cowing said. “It says a lot about his character: no matter what setbacks he’s had in his life, he still shows up and becomes what he is.”
“A lot of people (at San Francisco General Hospital) said this is as good an outcome as you can get in this situation,” added John Lynch, the team’s general manager.
Pearsall is on the reserve/non-football injury list, allowing him to play at least the first four games of the season. Health permitting, he will be eligible to play in just over a month for the team’s fifth game against the Cardinals.
While this may seem like a shockingly quick turnaround in football, it is not 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 a shooting. “We are talking about gunshots. People die from gunfire. one shot. Anywhere. It can be in the strangest place on your body, and you can die from it. So, to take two, I can think that I’m not blessed to get out of it.”
Post 49ers Ricky Pearsall shot during robbery attempt – then shows up to work Monday appeared first Vice.
Post 49ers Ricky Pearsall shot during robbery attempt – then shows up to work Monday appeared first Vice.