49ers expect rookie Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery after shooting

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch expects rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery after he was shot last weekend during an attempted robbery.

Pearsall was shot in the chest and hospitalized overnight following the shooting in downtown San Francisco on Saturday. He was released Sunday and was back at the team facility on Monday.

The Niners placed Pearsall on the non-football injury list, which will sideline him for at least four weeks, giving him time to recover from the shooting and a shoulder injury that had limited him all summer.

“Ultimately we decided that the best thing for Ricky was to get some time,” Lynch said Tuesday. “He’s going to need that time physically. He’s going to need that time emotionally and mentally. We made that decision. When we drafted Ricky, we did it with the long term in mind. Ricky is going to be a fantastic player here. He’s looking forward to it. He was disappointed, but he understood that we put him on that list and what that entails.”

Lynch said Pearsall was very lucky not to suffer more serious injuries after the shooting. Pearsall was walking alone with shopping bags to his car shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday when a juvenile suspect attempted to rob him with a gun in the Union Square area, authorities said.

Officers on the scene responded immediately and provided emergency medical assistance and arrested the suspect. A witness showed Pearsall on video with a large wound to his chest as he was helped into an ambulance.

Lynch thanked the San Francisco police, especially Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who was the first on the scene and provided immediate treatment to Pearsall. She also praised the doctors at San Francisco General Hospital, team physicians, trainers and support staff for working together to help Pearsall in a desperate time.

Lynch said there was no damage to organs, nerves or ribs and described it as a “point-to-point” wound.

“Several people there said this is the best outcome that could be had in this situation,” he said.

That glowing report was far from true when Lynch first learned that Pearsall had been shot Saturday after purchasing luggage following an autograph signing.

“The first calls I got were very scary: ‘We think Ricky was shot in the chest,’” Lynch said. “Typically, that outcome is not good. So it was a tough Saturday. It was a tough trip to San Francisco General. I’m very thankful that everything worked out the way it did.”

The news hit his teammates hard, who called it a sobering moment, not immediately knowing what had happened to one of their teammates.

“It wasn’t anything good,” catcher Jauan Jennings said. “I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I just hoped that Rick was OK. Just to keep hearing the good news made my day a lot better and made me happy to know that he was OK and that he was here with us.”

Pearsall was able to FaceTime with his teammates who were at a team party Saturday night and then see them in person when he returned to the facility Monday.

“He’s in really good spirits,” offensive lineman Aaron Banks said. “You can tell something like that shakes you up and you can tell he’s still working through it. But it was great to see him and have him around.”

Pearsall was selected in the first round in April by the 49ers with the 31st overall pick, but injuries have slowed him since joining the team.

He missed time during training camp with hamstring and shoulder issues before returning to practice last week in a blue non-contact jersey while his shoulder heals.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State and transferred to Florida for his final two seasons. He had 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Gators and finished his college career with 159 receptions for 2,420 yards and 14 touchdowns.

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