The NFL world was left shocked over the weekend when San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot and wounded in an attempted robbery in the city days before the start of the 2024 season.
Former NFL star Rob Gronkowski reacted to the incident in an interview with Fox News Digital. He called the shooting "senseless."
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"That was another senseless act. Another senseless situation where it’s sad to see happen," he said. "Very glad that he is fine, that the bullet didn’t hit him somewhere he’d be in critical condition. We’re glad to see him pop back, and we’re all praying for him, and we’re all cheering for him to have a 100% recovery so we can see him go out there and perform on the football field.
"I’m sure that’s going to be everyone’s favorite player, which it should be once he gets back and he has a couple catches. Everyone’s going to be going crazy for him. I’m a personal fan as well."
Gronkowski, who is set to star in a few Tostitos commercials over the course of the 2024 season, said Pearsall’s ability to walk away from it was "pretty wild."
He added that he never had an incident similar to what Pearsall faced, or anything that he knew about. But he tried to avoid certain situations.
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"I know there’s a target on my back. I know I’m a guy in the public," Gronkowski said. "I know I’m very well known, especially when I was playing. So, I would try to stay away from any situation where I know I could be in danger."
A 17-year-old suspect of Tracy, California, has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon and attempted second-degree robbery.
The teen’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap, told reporters after Wednesday's arraignment that the teen is sorry about what happened.
"He’s genuinely very sorry that this did happen, as is his family, and I can say on their behalf, as well as on my own behalf, our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself. So, there is genuine, genuine remorse in that regard," Dunlap said. "He is a young boy."
Pearsall was shot in the chest and the bullet exited his back, missing vital organs. He was out of the hospital less than 24 hours after the shooting.
He was placed on the non-football illness list to have extra time to recover and will miss the first four games of the season.
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