SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Ricky Pearsall’s first thought after being shot in the chest on Aug. 31 was obvious.
Would I live? Once doctors determined that, yes, Pearsall would survive, he shifted his attention to the next logical line of questioning. Would I be able to play football again? “That was a common question coming out of my mouth when I was in the hospital bed,” Pearsall said with a sly smile postgame. On an otherwise unsettling Sunday for the red and gold — a day in which the San Francisco 49ers lost their Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs and potentially lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season in the process — Pearsall provided a brief moment of collective euphoria.
Exactly 50 days after being shot in San Francisco’s Union Square during a robbery attempt, Pearsall took the field at Levi’s Stadium and made his NFL debut, hauling in three catches for 21 yards. “It meant everything considering all the adversity I went through this past month,” Pearsall said. “It was really good to go out there with my guys again.
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When the incident happened, the first thing I was thinking about was the guys and coaches in this locker room and the entire staff. They did a really good job of rallying around me and making sure I stayed up. It was a huge blessing for me today.
” With a minute-and-a-half remaining in the first half, Purdy found Pearsall in the middle of the field for a six-yard gain, the first catch of Pearsall’s career. The crowd, underst.