Just more than two months ago, San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was lying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound to his chest. Questions swirled in his mind as to whether he’d even live, let alone play professional football, let alone score a touchdown in the NFL.
Yet on Sunday in Tampa Bay, Pearsall overcame the odds and reached the end zone for the first time as a professional football player.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
Pearsall caught a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy deep over the middle, and then won a footrace to the left pylon for a 46-yard score.
First NFL TD for Ricky Pearsall ‼️
📺 #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/J8kjN1jYLB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 10, 2024
Pearsall’s touchdown opened the game’s scoring, and the 49ers outlasted the Buccaneers in a back-and-forth affair, 23-20, to improve to 5-4 on the season. Pearsall finished with four receptions for 73 yards and the one score.
“It was just, ‘Make a play with the ball in my hands, get in the end zone, get my first [touchdown],'” he said in his postgame press conference when asked what was going through his mind when he caught the ball and saw green grass in front of him.
Pearsall admitted in an Instagram video posted to his account and to the 49ers’ team account that he had doubts about whether he’d make it to the end zone.
View this post on Instagram
During the game, Pearsall wore eye black under both eyes in the shape of a cross in a public display of his faith. It’s a tradition for Pearsall, who did the same in college at Arizona State and then at Florida.
It was God, Pearsall says, who preserved and sustained him through one of the biggest obstacles of his life.
On Aug. 31, Pearsall was shopping in downtown San Francisco when a 17-year-old attempted to rob him with a gun. Both Pearsall and the suspect were shot following an altercation. Both survived, but Pearsall was rushed to a hospital in serious condition.
The bullet that struck him entered his chest and exited his back, and miraculously, it missed all critical organs. Pearsall improved rapidly, and after a series of overnight tests, he was released from the hospital and back in the 49ers’ facility less than 48 hours after the shooting occurred.
“I want to thank GOD for protecting my baby boy,” Pearsall’s mother, Erin, posted on Facebook after the shooting, according to FOX News. “He is extremely lucky, GOD shielded him. He was shot in the chest and it exited out his back. Thanks be to GOD it missed his vital organs.”
She added, “He is in good spirits right now. Life is so precious my friends. Please love (each other). My son was spared today by the grace of GOD. Please pray for my baby.”
Pearsall had limited range of motion in his right arm and shoulder due to scar tissue, but after rehabbing fully and rounding himself into game shape, he made his NFL debut on Oct. 20 against the Kansas City Chiefs and caught his first three passes as a professional.
“It meant everything (to be out there),” Pearsall said while speaking publicly for the first time since the shooting, according to ESPN. “Obviously, all the adversity I just went through these past months, it was really good to go out there with my guys again.”
The 49ers lost that game, but they’ve since won two straight with Pearsall in the lineup. He said in the postgame press conference Oct. 20 that the entire experience of being shot and then returning to contribute to an NFL team has brought him closer to God.
“Obviously, having that presence of God with me through those moments,” he said, “there was a lot of signs that He was giving to me throughout that time. … I just felt like it was scripted for me.”
View this post on Instagram
The 49ers drafted Pearsall with the 31st pick in April’s NFL Draft. When announcing his decision to enter the draft, Pearsall made sure to thank the Lord in addition to those who made his time at Florida special.
“First,” he wrote in his Instagram post, “I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Pearsall has been known to post about his faith on social media, like on his 24th birthday on Sept. 9 while reflecting about what had happened to him just days before.
View this post on Instagram
Pearsall and the 49ers have a number of crucial games remaining on their regular-season schedule, the outcomes of which will determine their postseason fate. They trail the Arizona Cardinals by half a game in the NFC West and are preparing to face the divisional rival Seattle Seahawks (4-5) on Sunday in San Francisco.
Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<
RELATED STORIES:
— After Super Bowl loss, 49ers QB Brock Purdy knows ‘Jesus Christ is my Rock’
— 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey says faith in Christ is ‘the most important thing in my life’
— 49ers All-Pro Deebo Samuel grounded in faith thanks to stepmother
— Bills safety Damar Hamlin keeps ‘God first’ as he excels in starting role
— SS PODCAST: Matt Forte’s 1st show as host w/ former NFL TE Benjamin Watson
