San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed his players as a group for the first time since his July 14 car crash, appearing on the practice field in Santa Clara on Saturday as his return to the team continues.
General manager John Lynch told reporters that Shanahan had taken a meaningful step forward earlier in the day. “He’s doing better, he’s doing better,” Lynch said. “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.”
Shanahan, who sported a prominent new mustache, watched practice alongside former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci. He was also pictured laughing with his coaching staff during the session. Earlier in the week, Shanahan had told reporters at training camp that he was still struggling with a serious concussion and was not yet back to his normal self, though he said he knew he would recover.
The crash left Shanahan with broken ribs, a broken hand, a serious concussion and 40 stitches. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, a teammate of Shanahan’s at the University of Texas, said the coach came close to losing his right eye.
The team has said it would reintegrate Shanahan gradually and that he is not currently in charge of the team’s operations.
Police withhold accident records
Questions continue to surround the circumstances of the crash. The Palo Alto Police Department told the Daily Mail it would not release the accident report or any video from the July 14 collision. Officers told other reporters that records from the crash are exempt from disclosure, citing the California Public Records Act and a state vehicle law that makes accident reports confidential.
The crash was not reported publicly until the start of training camp. Shanahan later took sole responsibility for the collision, saying he looked away from the road for two seconds while driving and struck an SUV. An initial entry in local law enforcement’s database had attributed fault to the female driver of the other vehicle, which Shanahan said crushed him when he heard about it.
Bay Area police did not charge Shanahan. A police spokesperson told ESPN that it is not uncommon for officers to choose not to issue a citation to either party in a collision and that neither party received preferential treatment.
The other driver sustained minor injuries. Her identity has not been revealed and she has not been seen publicly since the crash.
