San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is finally set to make his NFL debut this weekend – just over a month since he was shot in a failed robbery attempt.
Pearsall, 24, sustained minor injuries after being shot by a 17-year-old boy who targeted him for his Rolex watch in San Francisco at the end of August.
The defendant was arrested nearby and charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon and attempted second-degree robbery, as well as several gun charges.
Almost seven weeks on from the incident, Pearsall is now poised to line up in the NFL for the first time when the Niners face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has revealed they will be activating Pearsall as they look to avenge their devastating Super Bowl loss to Patrick Mahomes and Co back in February.
San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall is finally set to make his NFL debut this weekend
‘The guys are pumped. He’s been around the guys for a while now, so it’s not like he hasn’t been around, but practicing all week,’ Shanahan said about his new receiver.
‘It’s been great to see him out there. I think the guys were real happy for him that he could get back and be a part of it.
‘He’s had a hell of a week, and we’re just pumped to get him out there with us.’
Pearsall was shopping at luxury retail stores in San Francisco’s Union Square when the suspect allegedly saw the 49ers’ first-round pick wearing a Rolex watch and other expensive jewelry. Police say this is when the 17-year-old attempted to rob him at gunpoint.
The gun was discharged several times during the ensuing struggle, striking both Pearsall and the accused teenager.
The ex-Florida college star, who was released from a hospital a day after the shooting, recently reunited with the first responders that helped save his life on the day in question.
Pearsall was shot in downtown San Francisco last month after being targeted for his watch
But he is now set to make his NFL debut seven weeks later against none other than the Chiefs
Before the Niners’ opening NFL win over the New York Jets last month, he was joined on the field by Sgt. Joelle Harrell and Dr. Lucy Kornblith, presenting each with a signed jersey in the middle of the first quarter.
Pearsall was taken with the 31st pick of April’s NFL Draft after playing collegiately at Arizona State and then Florida.
The teenager accused of shooting him allegedly carried a gun into his high school the prior week, DailyMail.com learned last month.
A police report in the 17-year-old’s hometown in Tracy, California, confirmed the prior incident took place on Tuesday, August 21 at Stein High School, an alternative school for students who’ve had trouble in the district’s general population.
