49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has been discharged from San Francisco General Hospital as he begins his recovery from Saturday’s gunshot wound to his chest, the team announced Sunday afternoon.
Pearsall was shot near San Francisco’s Union Square in an attempted robbery by a 17-year-old male from Tracy, police said.
Pearsall was seen on video walking under his own power to an ambulance while assisted by paramedics who applied pressure to his wound before he took a seat on a gurney.
“San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was released from the hospital this afternoon as he continues to recover from a bullet wound to his chest.
“He and his family, along with the entire San Francisco 49ers organization, would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department, emergency medical services, doctors and staff at San Francisco General Hospital,” the 49ers said in a statement.
Pearsall, a 23-year-old rookie, was initially listed in serious but stable condition at the hospital, as noted by the 49ers in a statement that requested privacy for their first-round draft pick and his family.
Pearsall’s mother, Erin, posted on Facebook after the shooting that the bullet that struck her son did not hit any vital organs, adding that her son was “extremely lucky”. She said the bullet entered his chest and exited his back.
The suspect, who is in police custody, also sustained a gunshot wound during the altercation.
It’s still to be determined how soon Pearsall might return to the football field and begin his rookie season in the NFL.
John Lynch, the 49ers’ general manager, went to the hospital to visit with Pearsall following the incident. Meanwhile, a team party went ahead as planned Saturday night, in which coach Kyle Shanahan traditionally hosts players after the initial roster is set before the season. Shanahan was pictured with wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel as well as music icon Rick Ross, who posted videos on his Instagram Story.
Two years ago, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. was shot twice in his right leg in an attempted robbery and carjacking. Hospitalized for just one night, Robinson recovered so quickly from his surgery that he was playing six weeks later. He spent the first four games of that 2022 season on the non-football injury list, and over 12 ensuing games, he rushed for 797 yards.
Pearsall’s wound appeared to be on the upper right part of his chest. He missed three weeks of training camp with a partially dislocated left shoulder suffered Aug. 6. He resumed practicing last week from the injury, a repeat of a dislocation he suffered in spring practices. A summer hamstring injury kept him out of the first week of training camp practices.
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