Kyle Shanahan Survives Terrifying Car Crash That Left Him with Broken Ribs, Concussion and 40+ Facial Stitches

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was in a car accident on July 14.

Kyle Shanahan Survives Terrifying Car Crash That Left Him with Broken Ribs, Concussion and 40+ Facial Stitches

Kyle Shanahan (Image via IMAGO)

The San Francisco 49ers received bad news ahead of their spring training camp. The club’s head coach, Kyle Shanahan, was in a car accident.

According to Nick Wagoner and Adam Schefter of ESPN, Shanahan was in a car accident on July 14 that left him with a broken nose, three broken ribs, a hand, and 40 stitches on his face. The accident happened when he collided with an SUV near his Northern California home.

Kyle [Shanahan] basically is going to be like in the protocol… And we’re going to let the doctors dictate how he comes back, when he comes back.

49ers general manager John Lynch said about Shanahan’s situation

Shanahan is entering the 10th year of his 49ers coaching career. Even though he has yet to deliver a Super Bowl victory, the 49ers have featured in a couple of them during his tenure.

Last year, the Niners finished third in the NFC West and reached the divisional playoff final even after playing with almost half of their starters in rehab. Briefly, there was chatter about whether the 49ers should part ways with Shanahan because of the constant disappointments. However, Lynch and the 49ers players stood by their coach.

RELATED
George Kittle Pulls Back the Curtain on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding

Will Kyle Shanahan attend the 49ers training camp?

Following the crash, paramedics took Shanahan to the hospital to receive treatment. According to Lynch, Shanahan’s recovery has been going well, but he still has lingering concussion symptoms.

Kyle Shanahan Survives Terrifying Car Crash That Left Him With Broken Ribs, Concussion and 40+ Facial Stitches
Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy (Image via IMAGO)

Keeping that in mind, the 49ers have decided to let Shanahan completely recover before incorporating him back into the training scenario. Until then, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and special teams coach Brant Boyer will have increased work. Shanahan has been given access to watch the camp.

Our staff is equipped, but it will very much be a collective effort.

Lynch said

Is Brock Purdy a product of Kyle Shanahan’s system? George Kittle gives his two cents

Against all odds, Brock Purdy established himself as the 49ers’ starting quarterback during his rookie season. Sure, the injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance helped his case, but Purdy’s performance kept him on the starting roster.

Since then, Purdy has led the 49ers to NFC glory and a Super Bowl appearance. However, experts have refused to credit Purdy for the success and chalked it down to Kyle Shanahan’s genius. Some have even called Purdy a product of the system. If he were in a less favorable environment, then perhaps he wouldn’t have made a similar impact.

Shanahan has pushed back against such theories for a long time. So too has All-Pro tight end George Kittle. Kittle echoed the same thoughts on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast. Kittle argued that the main reason football experts don’t want to acknowledge Purdy’s talent is due to where he was drafted.

I think because Brock [Purdy] was a seventh-round pick, last pick in the draft, I think that when he initially had success, everybody was just like, ‘Oh, it’s just because he’s on a great football team.’ I’ve seen quarterbacks on a great football team not have success. So, I think you can throw that one out the window.

Kittle said

Kittle also shut down the “system quarterback” theory by noting that Purdy has won games on his own when required.

You watch him run the offense and the amount of broken plays that he makes, and he makes great throws, jump passes, running down the field, running for like 20, 30 yards—wins us football games.

Kittle said

Purdy has a 30-15 regular-season and a 5-3 postseason record.

Also Read: