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The 49ers expect rookie Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery from his shooting
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The 49ers expect rookie Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery from his shooting

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch expects rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery after being injured shot last weekend during an attempted robbery.

Pearsall was shot in the chest and hospitalized overnight following the shooting in central San Francisco on Saturday. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and was back at the team facility on Monday.

The Niners placed Pearsall on the list of non-football injuries, He will be sidelined for at least four weeks as he recovers from the shooting and a shoulder injury that has limited him all summer.

“Ultimately, we decided it was best for Ricky to have a little bit of time,” Lynch said Tuesday. “He’s going to need that time physically. He’s going to need that time emotionally and mentally. We made that decision. When we drafted Ricky, we did it for the long haul. Ricky’s going to be a great player here. He’s excited. He was disappointed, but he understood why we put him on that roster and what that entails.”

Lynch said Pearsall was fortunate not to have suffered more serious injuries in the shooting. Pearsall was walking alone to his car with grocery bags shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday when a juvenile suspect attempted to rob him at gunpoint near Union Square, officials said.

Officers in the area responded immediately and provided emergency medical care and arrested the suspect. Pearsall was shown on witness video with a large chest wound as he was helped into an ambulance.

Lynch thanked the San Francisco Police Department, especially Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who was first on the scene and immediately treated Pearsall. He also praised the San Francisco General Hospital physicians, team doctors, trainers and support staff for working together to help Pearsall during a difficult time.

Lynch said there was no damage to organs, nerves or ribs and described it as a “through and through” operation.

“Several people down there said this was about the best outcome you could get in this situation,” he said.

That good news was far from certain when Lynch first heard that Pearsall had been shot Saturday after buying luggage following an autograph signing.

“The first few calls I got were extremely scary: ‘We think Ricky was shot in the chest,'” Lynch said. “That outcome is usually not good. So, that was a rough Saturday. It was a rough drive to San Francisco General. I’m just so thankful that everything worked out the way it did.”

The news hit his teammates hard, who called it a sobering moment, as they didn’t immediately know what had happened to one of their teammates.

“It wasn’t great at all,” said receiver Jauan Jennings. “I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I just hoped that Rick was OK. Just hearing the good news made my day a lot better and made me happy and just knowing that he’s OK and he’s here with us.”

Pearsall was able to connect with his teammates via FaceTime who were at a team party Saturday night and was then able to meet them in person when he returned to the facility on Monday.

“He’s in a good mood,” offensive lineman Aaron Banks said. “You can tell something like that shakes you up and you can tell he’s still working through it. But it was great to see him and be around him.”

Pearsall was selected 31st overall in the first round by the 49ers in April, but has struggled with injuries since joining the team.

He missed a period of training camp with hamstring and shoulder problems, but returned to training last week in a blue jersey while his shoulder heals.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State and transferred to Florida for his final two seasons. He had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Gators and finished his college career with 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 TDs.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl