By San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall said he wants to meet and forgive the person who shot him in the chest during an attempted robbery last year.
Pearsall was hospitalized as a result of the incident in August, but avoided damage to his vital organs and was back working out at the team facility the following week.
Now, after finishing his first season in the NFL, Pearsall says he wants to meet the person who shot him and is curious to understand the reasons behind the incident.
“I don’t know how he grew up, so I can’t judge him as a man just based off one action that he made, as violent as a crime it was,” Pearsall told reporters Monday.
“God forbid him doing that to someone else. I don’t ever want that to happen.
“But for me, just being able to forgive him. I have to be able to forgive him to have that weight off my chest.
“At some point, I do want to talk to the kid. If I can create an impact on him in any way, I think that would be really good and I’d be open to doing that for sure.”
The shooting took place in San Francisco’s Union Square when a 17-year-old boy attempted to rob Pearsall at gunpoint, leading to a physical altercation, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Pearsall and the suspect were struck by gunfire from the suspect’s weapon, police chief William Scott said.
Officers rendered aid to Pearsall and the suspect and transported them to a hospital for treatment, police said. The 49ers initially said Pearsall was in “serious but stable condition” and was released from the hospital the following day.
The teenage suspect is from Tracy, California, and has not been identified because of his age.
The teen suspect was charged with attempted murder and also faces charges of attempted second-degree robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in September.
Pearsall was drafted by San Francisco with the 31st pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft earlier this year. Before being drafted, Pearsall played three years at Arizona State and two at Florida during his collegiate career. In his last NCAA campaign, he amassed 965 receiving yards and six touchdowns with the Gators.
He missed six weeks of NFL action following the incident but has since made 11 appearances for the Niners, finishing with 31 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns, as the team missed out on the playoffs after finishing runners-up in the Super Bowl last season.
