San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan came close to permanently losing vision in his right eye during a serious vehicle collision earlier this month, according to details shared by a longtime friend. The incident took place July 14 in northern California and left Shanahan with multiple fractures along with extensive facial trauma.
Team officials revealed Saturday that the coach sustained a broken left hand, a broken nose, three broken ribs, more than 40 stitches to his face and a severe concussion. Those injuries will keep Shanahan away from the start of training camp.
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, now an analyst for Pro Football Talk, described the gravity of the wreck after receiving an urgent message from the coach’s wife.
“I get a text from Kyle’s wife, Mandy,” Simms said on Monday. “She texts myself and my wife, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, Kyle’s been a part of some horrible accident.’ “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.”
Shanahan, 46, has guided the 49ers since 2017 and directed the franchise to NFC championships in both 2019 and 2023. In each of those seasons the team fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
While Shanahan recovers, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Foerster is prepared to handle portions of the head coaching responsibilities. Foerster is in his third period of service with the organization, having previously worked as offensive line coach in 2008 and 2009 as well as in 2015.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the transition, writing: “49ers assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Foerster is expected to assume some of Kyle Shanahan’s head coaching duties and help lead the team.”
Schefter added: “Shanahan informed his assistant coaches of his accident on Tuesday; other players slowly have been getting the news that the 49ers confirmed today.”
Questions have emerged about the two-week gap between the crash and the public announcement. Pro Football Talk founder Mike Florio highlighted the delay, stating: “The Kyle Shanahan car accident happened on July 14. It was a matter of public record. The 49ers wanted to keep it quiet until training camp opened on July 25. And, instead of reporting publicly available facts, the reporters who knew about it complied.”
Bay Area reporter Tim Kawakami pushed back against the criticism.
“Florio can attack me all he wants,” Kawakami wrote. “He’s trolling, which he does sometimes.”
Kawakami further explained: “I knew around Thursday that Shanahan wouldn’t do the presser yesterday. I knew he likely wasn’t going to be coaching at the start of camp. I could guess why. I didn’t know exactly. CONSPIRACY! COMPLYING!”
Shanahan’s ongoing recovery from the concussion remains the primary concern as the 49ers prepare for the upcoming season under temporary leadership.
