Breaking News: Key player who was wounded in a shooting less than two months ago, will play in his first NFL game against the Chiefs.

The wide receiver recently returned to practice

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will play in Sunday’s Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pearsall will make his NFL debut less than two months after being shot in an attempted robbery.

After missing time due to a gunshot wound to the chest, the 24-year-old Pearsall returned to practice this week. He was draughted by the team in the first round in April.

On Friday, 49ers GM John Lynch dropped a hint that Pearsall would get “a chance” to play versus Chiefs.

“It seems to be heading in the right path,” Lynch stated to KNBR in San Francisco. “To Ricky’s credit, after a horrific situation, he responded extremely well physically and attacked the work to get himself back.”

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This is #14 Ricky Pearsall: SF, WR.
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During a confrontation involving a juvenile who allegedly attempted to rob the wide receiver in San Francisco, Pearsall was shot and wounded; he spent some time in the hospital afterward. “Nothing short of miraculous,” Lynch remarked at the time, was the fact that Pearsall avoided serious organ damage.

Unless he is activated from the reserve/non-football injury list within three weeks, the Florida product will be forced to sit out the rest of the 2024 season.