San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a two-vehicle collision in Palo Alto on July 14, located a short distance from Stanford University. News of the incident did not emerge until 11 days later, appearing on the eve of the team's first preseason practice. Two weeks after the crash, Shanahan provided a statement to David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard, acknowledging his role in the accident.
"I was not on my phone but I dropped my phone and it was stuck in my seat. I took my eyes off the road looking for my phone and my car veered into someone," Shanahan stated. He added that the road was unforgiving, noting, "I’ll teach my kids, you don’t drive in the left lane for no reason. You’re only allowed a foot."
Despite this admission, a spokesperson for the Palo Alto Police Department confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that no citation was issued to the coach. The official explained that the decision to not cite either party involved in a collision is common practice and not indicative of preferential treatment. The department also addressed reports regarding a potential violation of California laws banning mobile device use while driving, characterizing the lack of a citation as a "clerical error."
As Shanahan recovers from his injuries, the 49ers have turned to lead assistant Chris Foerster to manage practices, working in coordination with coordinators Klay Kubiak, Raheem Morris, and Brant Boyer. The situation has drawn scrutiny from observers, including Sports Illustrated writer Grant Cohn, who wrote on Thursday: "The 49ers currently have Jim Tomsula 2.0 as their head coach." They can’t afford Kyle Shanahan to miss any games this season. The 49ers are scheduled to resume practice on Friday.
However, his plight was revealed only 11 days later, on the eve of his team's first preseason practice.Three days after the reveal, or exactly two weeks after the incident itself, he released this statement ot the San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi admitting that he was responsible:"I was not on my phone but I dropped my phone and it was stuck in my seat.
Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment."ESPN @espnLINKPalo Alto Police did not cite San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan for causing the car crash in which he was seriously injured because of an officer's discretion, a spokesperson told ESPN.ALSO READ: "Kyle Shanahan didn’t want to admit he was wrong?": Ex-ESPN host Jemele Hill raises questions after police tried to blame on 21 y/o girl for accidentALSO READ: "Adam Schefter agreed not to report the accident": Analyst makes bold claim about NFL insider's silence on Kyle Shanahan crash as Chris Simms approves49ers cannot afford to miss Kyle Shanahan for long, warns insiderAs Kyle Shanahan recovers from his injuries, the 49ers' practices are currently managed by lead assistant Chris Foerster, in coordination with coordinators Klay Kubiak, Raheem Morris and Brant Boyer.At least one person is unimpressed with how this arrangement has been going, however — Grant Cohn.
