A longtime friend of Kyle Shanahan has revealed the San Francisco 49ers coach came dangerously close to losing his right eye after being involved in a terrifying car crash.
It emerged on Saturday that Shanahan had been involved in a crash with another vehicle in northern California, which left him with multiple injuries.
Shanahan, 46, collided with an SUV near his home in Palo Alto on July 14 and broke his nose, three ribs, his hand, required more than 40 stitches in his face and suffered a severe concussion.
He was taken to a local hospital by paramedics but was released the same day. ESPN reported that the other driver was not injured and drugs and alcohol were not involved.
The California Post obtained a short clip of the dispatch audio from the crash and one officer can be heard saying to the first responders that one driver is ‘bleeding from the head.’
On Monday’s episode of Pro Football Talk Live, NFL insider Chris Simms revealed he had seen pictures of Shanahan’s grisly injuries and he was lucky to still have his eyesight.
NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms revealed Kyle Shanahan was nearly blinded by his car crash
911 audio from the aftermath appeared to reveal Shanahan was left ‘bleeding from the head’
‘I get a text from Kyle’s wife, Mandy. She texts myself and my wife, and it’s like, “Oh no, Kyle’s been a part of some horrible accident”,’ Simms said.
‘And she sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like, “Oh my gosh.” So just to let you know, paint the picture, you’ve seen the injury report, the broken ribs, 40 stitches in the face, the broken nose, broken left hand. Of course, the bad concussion.
‘But when you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring. It’s jarring.
‘He was this close to maybe losing his right eye, right? The scar is so big right here. And so all that stuff was just crazy to see. And, of course, I was thinking of my friend, but yeah, it’s tough. And he’s still battling with this concussion. . . . He’s healing.
‘His face looks a whole lot better, but this concussion, of course, being a part of that kind of accident is lingering and it’s giving him issues, and he’s certainly still dealing with that.’
As a result of his injuries, Shanahan will be limited in what he can do during 49ers training camp although he was pictured watching practice on Sunday in a major sign he’s on the road to recovery.
His longtime ally Chris Foerster, who serves as assistant head coach, will take on a bigger role in training camp with help from new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
The 49ers’ general manager, John Lynch, told reporters on Saturday that he expects Shanahan to be healthy enough to coach the team in their opening game against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on September 10.
The San Francisco 49ers head coach pictured with wife Mandy before this year’s Super Bowl
Shanahan and Mandy share three children together, son Carter and daughters Stella and Lexi
‘The timeline kind of takes care of itself. He’s got to meet certain markers,’ Lynch told reporters on Saturday. ‘But I think the expectation is that long before that he’ll be better.’
His week one opponent, Sean McVay, revealed he’s spoken to close friend Shanahan in recent days.
McVay, who worked with Shanahan for four years when they were assistant coaches with the Washington Commanders, revealed on Saturday he was ‘shaken up’ by the news.
He told reporters: ‘Most importantly, thank God he and the other person involved is okay. Perspective is everything. We talk about that all the time as coaches, and everybody goes through different things.
‘I think the most important thing is that he’s on the road to recovery. His wife Mandy, and he’s got a beautiful family, and I think any time that something like that happens, it shakes you up a little bit.
‘But most importantly, I have talked to him. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and I know he’s got an incredible perspective on it all. And Kyle’s a stud.
‘I have as much respect for him as anybody and he’s a friend of mine, and I love him and hope that he’s going to have a great recovery.’
