49ers Rookie Ricky Pearsall, Recovered From Gunshot Wound, Set for NFL Debut

The rookie joins a fairly stacked receiver room.
Pearsall was shot in late August
Pearsall was shot in late August / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
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Ricky Pearsall, who was shot during an attempted robbery on Aug. 31, is expected to make his NFL debut on Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan informed reporters of his return on Friday.

The rookie was en route to a signing event when the suspected shooter reportedly attempted to steal Pearsall's watch. According to police, after a struggle for a weapon belonging to the suspect, Pearsall and the victim both suffered gunshot wounds. The rookie was seen walking to the ambulance after the incident and was reported to be in stable condition that night.

A 17-year-old was charged with attempted murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and robbery. He suffered a gunshot to the arm and also survived.

The gunshot wound was reportedly through Pearsall's chest, and he was placed on the physically unable to perform list before the season began. Now, the Niners have activated him and he is expected to play in Week 7 against the Chiefs. It will have been 50 days since Pearsall suffered the gunshot wound.

It is nothing short of remarkable that Pearsall has gotten back to the gridiron after such a scary, life-threatening incident.


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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.