San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall returned to the field for practice on Monday for the first time since he was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery nine days before the season opener.
The 49ers opened a window for Pearsall to begin practicing with the team while he remains on the non-football injury list. The team has three weeks to decide when to activate him, and coach Kyle Shanahan said last week there is no timeline for when Pearsall will be ready to play in games.
“I saw him warming up and I started smiling because I know how big of a factor he can be for the team,” rookie guard Dominick Puni said. “But more importantly for his health and everything, it was awesome to see him out there after going what he went through."
Just the presence of Pearsall was a lift for the 49ers after what transpired on Aug. 31. Pearsall was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco's Union Square area and was hospitalized overnight. He avoided damage to any organs and nerves and was back working out at the team facility the following week.
Pearsall could be seen dancing around the field during the brief portion of practice that was open to the media and broke down the team huddle before and after the session.
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Fellow rookie receiver Jacob Cowing said he noticed from the first time he met Pearsall in January while preparing for the combine that he had the “it factor” and that only has been reinforced these last few months.
“All the adversity that has kind of been thrown at him in the past few months, just for him to overcome everything against him, to fight and to grind and to get back into shape,” Cowing said. “It’s a great feeling for everyone to see him put the helmet back on, put that the jersey back on, and then to go out there and be part of that team and go out there and have some fun.”
Pearsall, who was drafted in the first round in April, missed the majority of training camp practices with injuries to his hamstring and shoulder but was on track to be ready for the opener before the shooting.
He 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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