San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall missed the first six games of the 2024 NFL season after being shot in the chest in an attempted robbery in August.
He was released from the hospital two days later and made a full recovery. He made his NFL debut in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs and finished his rookie campaign with six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ 47-24 loss to Arizona in Week 18.
After the game, Pearsall spoke about his season and forgiving the teenager who shot him in the attempted robbery.
‘I don’t know how he grew up so, I can’t judge him as a man just based off one action that he made,’ Pearsall said. ‘As violent as a crime as it was, God forbid him doing that to somebody else. I don’t ever want that to happen.’
‘For me, just being able to forgive him at the end of the day like, I have to be able to forgive him to have that weight off my chest,’ Pearsall continued. ‘At some point I do want to talk to the kid and make sure that, if I can create an impact on him in any way I think that would be really big. I think I’d be definitely open to doing that, for sure.’
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The suspect in the shooting, identified as a 17-year-old from Tracy, Calif., was charged with attempted murder and two other felonies.
Ricky Pearsall shooting timeline
Here’s a full recap of what happened to Pearsall and his recovery:
Aug. 31, 2024: Pearsall is shot in the chest in an attempted robbery while walking in the Union Square area of San Francisco on his way to an autograph signing event. The 17-year-old shooter was allegedly attempting to steal Pearsall’s watch, and both were shot in the incident.
Sept. 1, 2024: Pearsall is released from San Francisco General Hospital.
Sept. 2, 2024: San Francisco places Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Sept. 9, 2024: Pearsall was on the sidelines for the 49ers’ opening game against the New York Jets. During the game, the first responders who helped Pearsall at the scene of the robbery were honored.
Oct. 19, 2024: The 49ers upgrade Pearsall from the reserve/NFI list to the active roster.
Oct. 20, 2024: Pearsall makes his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs. He has three catches for 21 yards on five targets and receives an ovation from the home crowd after his first career reception.
Ricky Pearsall stats
With wideout Brandon Aiyuk sidelined with a season-ending injury, Pearsall took on an increased role in the 49ers’ offense.
Pearsall finished the season with 31 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. He was fourth on the team in catches and yards behind George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel.
He also had three carries for 45 rushing yards.