Julian Edelman Recalls Uncomfortable Bathroom Meeting with Kyle Shanahan at Super Bowl LII

To Edelman, this showed how much the 49ers coach loves football.

Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman shared a memorable story about meeting 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan during Week 6's Fox NFL Kickoff pregame show. During a segment in which the panelists each named the coach doing the best job thus far, Edelman highlighted Shanahan. 

Good choice, right? The 49ers might be the best team in football. But Edelman recounted the coach's love for football with an unusual anecdote. The 11-year pro couldn't play with the Patriots in Super Bowl LII due to a torn ACL but was at the game as a spectator. 

While using the bathroom, someone approached Edelman and wanted to talk about a whip route he ran in the previous year's Super Bowl. As Edelman recounts, he was in a compromising position at the urinal and couldn't believe that this person wanted to talk football at that moment.

"I'm like, what is this guy doing? I'm full out and everything," said Edelman. "What are we doing here? So I go to wash my hands, the guy comes up to me and goes, 'You don't know who I am.'" 

Check out the clip: 

Just trust us, you're going to want to hear this story about @Edelman11 and Kyle Shanahan 😂 pic.twitter.com/gY58kE74ej

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 15, 2023

The person Edelman thought was a football fan or groupie who didn't respect bathroom boundaries was Shanahan, who had just finished his first year as 49ers head coach. 

From there, the conversation among the Kickoff crew–including Charles Woodson, Michael Vick, and Peter Schrager–turned into a bunch of slang and puns on whip routes and "whip outs." Charissa Thompson prevented the segment from going totally out of control by saying "God, I love this network." 

In Edelman's view, wanting to talk football with an NFL star while he was relieving himself showed how much he loved the game. And that's why he's such a successful NFL coach, apparently? You make the call.