Ricky Pearsall of San Francisco 49ers looking on.Ricky Pearsall (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images


San Francisco 49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper received some vicious responses from fans after posting a message of support for teammate Ricky Pearsall, who’s in the hospital recovering from a shot to the chest during an armed robbery on Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, Ricky Pearsall was shot during an armed robbery by a 17-year-old male from Tracy, California. The San Francisco Police Department said in a statement that the confrontation turned physical when the suspect tried to rob Pearsall, who was shot in the chest during the altercation.

Pearsall was taken to the hospital to have his wounds treated. The 49ers announced that Pearsall was “in serious but stable condition” on 9:55 p.m. EST yesterday.

After the stunning and terrifying news of the incident emerged, Pepper took to X/Twitter to offer support for his teammate:

For those unaware, Pepper has been critical of Donald Trump and other conservatives and their policies on social media. Even though his tweet on Ricky Pearsall was nothing political, many fans responded harshly to Pepper, to the point where he had to mute replies:

The 23-year-old Ricky Pearsall was drafted 31st overall by the 49ers in April. He was the sixth wide receiver taken, behind Marvin Harrison Jr. (fourth overall to the Arizona Cardinals), Malik Nabers (sixth to the New York Giants), Rome Odunze (ninth to the Chicago Bears), Brian Thomas Jr. (23rd to the Jacksonville Jaguars) and Xavier Worthy (28th to the Kansas City Chiefs).

We’re thinking of Pearsall, his family and friends as well as the San Francisco 49ers organization. We’re hoping for a safe and speedy recovery for the rookie.

San Francisco 49ers Open Season vs. New York Jets

The reigning NFC champions will try and jump out to a 1-0 start when they host old friend Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets during “Monday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9.