San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed his team on the practice field Saturday, his first appearance since a serious car crash on July 14. Shanahan sustained broken ribs, a broken hand, and a concussion in the incident, which was initially not disclosed to the media.
Shanahan was pictured on the practice field in Santa Clara, observing drills and interacting with coaches and general manager John Lynch. "He's doing better, he's doing better," Lynch told reporters. "He addressed the team for the first time this morning as a whole. And they were excited. He got a nice welcome. And it was good to have him up there."
The team has stated that Shanahan will be slowly reintegrated into day-to-day activities and is not currently leading the team. Earlier in the week, Shanahan acknowledged he was still experiencing concussion symptoms.
Mystery has surrounded the details of the crash, with an initial police report incorrectly attributing blame to the driver of the other vehicle. Shanahan later clarified that he was at fault, stating he took his eyes off the road for two seconds before colliding with an SUV. "I went down to look for it and took my eyes off the road for two seconds," Shanahan said. "And as I was coming up, the airbags hit me in my face and they broke my nose and then they said the visor really gashed me."
The crash resulted in approximately 40 stitches for Shanahan. Reports indicated he narrowly avoided serious eye injury. The other driver involved sustained minor injuries.
The Palo Alto Police Department has declined to release the accident report or any bodycam footage, citing exemptions under the California Public Records Act related to confidentiality and privacy concerns, as well as state vehicle law making accident reports confidential. A police spokesperson stated that no preferential treatment was given to either party involved in the collision.