In a rare move for anyone in any capacity in professional sports, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t try to place blame for the car accident that almost took his life on anyone else but himself and tried to undo some incorrect reporting on the accident.
The 49ers disclosed on Saturday that Shanahan would be sidelined for training camp after a crash on July 14 in northern California in which he broke his hand, nose, and 3 ribs, and needed over 40 stitches in his face, along with a “severe concussion.”
“49ers coach Kyle Shanahan just spent some time describing the events of July 14,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “He wanted to clarify right up front that the accident was his fault. He took eyes off the road briefly to find his phone which fell between seats and when he looked up he had gone over the line and into an SUV. The CHP database had a clerical error attributing accident to the girl. Shanahan says that is not accurate.”
Questions have swirled as to exactly why it took so long for news of Shanahan’s crash to be made public — mainly why 49ers reporters didn’t share the news — and details surrounding the crash.
Kyle Shanahan’s Friend Claims He Almost Lost Eye
According to Shanahan’s friend, former NFL quarterback and Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms, Shanahan narrowly avoided an even worse tragedy.
“I get a text from Kyle’s wife, Mandy,” Simms said on PFT Live on Monday. “She texts myself and my wife, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, Kyle’s been a part of some horrible accident,’” Simms said. “And she sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ So just to let you know, paint the picture, you’ve seen the injury report, the broken ribs, 40 stitches in the face, the broken nose, broken left hand. Of course, the bad concussion. But when you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring. It’s jarring. He was this close to maybe losing his right eye, right? The scar is so big right here. And so all that stuff was just crazy to see. And, of course, I was thinking of my friend, but yeah, it’s tough. And he’s still battling with this concussion. . . . He’s healing. His face looks a whole lot better, but this concussion, of course, being a part of that kind of accident is lingering and it’s giving him issues, and he’s certainly still dealing with that.”
Chris Foerster Taking Over Shanahan’s Duties
Taking over for Shanahan while he’s away will be assistant head coach Chris Foerster, who is on his 3rd stint with the franchise after serving as the offensive line coach in 2008 and 2009, then again in 2015.
Foerster was fired by the Miami Dolphins in 2017 after a video he recorded of himself snorting cocaine was leaked.
“49ers assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Foerster is expected to assume some of Kyle Shanahan’s head coaching duties and help lead the team,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “Shanahan informed his assistant coaches of his accident on Tuesday; other players slowly have been getting the news that the 49ers confirmed today.”
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