Three days after San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall suffered a gunshot wound to his chest in an attempted robbery, general manager John Lynch said Tuesday it was "nothing short of miraculous" that the rookie has emerged from the incident as well as he has.
Lynch spoke to the media for the first time since Pearsall was shot on Saturday and said he believes the 2024 first-rounder will play this season, but underscored that the 49ers' onus is on Pearsall's physical and mental health.
"Oh yeah," Lynch replied when asked if he was confident Pearsall could contribute this season. "He's doing remarkably well. It's kind of uncharted territory. It's not every day that you deal with something like this."
Pearsall, 23, was shot in an attempted robbery at San Francisco's Union Square. Lynch said Tuesday that Pearsall was shopping for luggage for road trips when the incident took place.
Pearsall was hospitalized Saturday and released Sunday.
Around the time of the shooting, the 49ers also had a team party planned. The festivities and his teammates were on Pearsall's mind despite the harrowing incident, Lynch said.
"When I got to the hospital and visited with Ricky, one of the first things that he said was, 'Mr. Lynch, what's going on? I'd really like everyone to go to that party, and I'd also like to talk to some of my teammates,'" Lynch said. "We got a cool moment, were able to pipe Ricky into the party and he FaceTimed the entire group. That show of love and respect was a real special moment for our team."
On Monday, the 49ers placed Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list, ensuring he'll miss at least the first four games of the season.
"We had to act quickly with that decision," Lynch said. "I wish we had some more time to make it, but ultimately, we felt the No. 1 thing we had to be concerned with was Ricky's well-being. Physically, emotionally, mentally. Ultimately decided the best thing for Ricky was to have a little time. He's going to need that time physically. He's going to need that time emotionally, mentally, and we made that decision. When we drafted Ricky, we did it for the long term, and Ricky's going to be a fantastic player here."
Pearsall was selected with the 31st overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 49ers will begin their season Monday against the visiting New York Jets without Pearsall, but, all things considered, Lynch is overjoyed with the progress of his young wideout.
"He's doing so much better today than he was yesterday," Lynch said on Tuesday. "Just really, really miraculous."
