Last weekend’s shooting of 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall has upended the life of a 12-year-old boy in Arizona, who has since been bombarded by sympathetic text messages, because he has Pearsall’s old phone number.
Last Saturday’s shooting of 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall definitely shocked San Francisco, could complicate Union Square’s recovery, and might even affect the San Francisco mayoral election. But it's certainly affecting the life of 12-year-old Lincoln Shreck, who lives 750 miles away in Arizona, but does not follow football and previously had no idea who Ricky Pearsall even was.
That’s because as KGO reports, 12-year-old Lincoln Shreck has Ricky Pearsall’s old phone number from the days when Pearsall was a student at Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona.
"I was responding 'wrong number' to as many [texts] as I could, and after a couple of them, somebody responded that it was the former number of an NFL player," the young Shreck told Phoenix's KNPX.
Per KNPX, Schreck has been receiving hundreds of text messages from strangers, likely Pearsall’s associates from his high school days. "I'm sure he's getting a lot of feel-better texts but he's getting more than he's even seeing,” Schreck told that station.
It’s a feel-good story about a kid, alright. Though it’s sobering to think this 12-year-old youngster is only five years younger than Pearsall’s 17-year-old accused shooter.
"'I still think I can play vs. the Jets.'"
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 5, 2024
Shanahan recalls some of the things Pearsall told him in recent days 😳 pic.twitter.com/diMNsZybCx
Meanwhile, Pearsall’s recovery has gone miraculously, and the 49ers absolutely expect Pearsall to recover fully and still play this season. Pearsall has been placed on the 49ers’ reserve/non-football injury list, and therefore will miss at least the next four games. But as seen above, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said at a Thursday press conference that Pearsall told him “I still think I can play vs. the Jets" in Monday niight's 49ers home opener, despite having been shot in the chest just five days earlier.
Related: Accused Teen Shooter of Ricky Pearsall Is 'Very Sorry,' Says Attorney [SFist]
Image: SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 18: Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall #14 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the field prior to an NFL preseason football game against the New Orleans Saints, at Levi's Stadium on August 18, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
