Niners' Ricky Pearsall Out After Shooting, Misses Four Games

Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by the 49ers following a traumatic event over the weekend. Pearsall, a first-round draftee of the 2024 NFL Draft class for the San Franciso, was shot in Union Square over an attempted robbery on Saturday night.

The incident resulted in the young athlete being taken to hospital, but he was discharged after one night. Pearsall will need at least a month to recover, which puts him out for the first portion of the regular season - if it weren't already sure, he wouldn't be ready.

The team was hopeful the former Florida Gators standout would contribute immediately to their offensive plans, a development that left them reeling.

Pearsall's Shooting Aftermath

The shooting happened around 3:37 p.m. PT Saturday in the busy Union Square section of Manhattan, officials said.

Pearsall's mother shared at a hospital on Sunday, despite the brutal start to his day, that her son was "in good spirits" after he had been discharged. While fans and the team have worried about his health and future in football, her update is a silver lining.

Pearsall encountered his fair share of trials and tribulations during his brief time in San Francisco before the latest setback. Townsend missed some valuable practice time with a shoulder injury before the preseason. However, Pearsall returned to practice last week, which bodes well for his recovery and ability to help the team.

Now that Pearsall no longer has a spot on the 49ers, who used their top pick on him in April's supplemental draft, San Francisco is shuffling personnel as it looks toward its regular season opener. The Raiders now face the New York Jets on Monday night football at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Pearsall's loss changes the dynamics of their receiving corps and forces the coaching staff and his fellow players to adjust.