Ricky Pearsall made his NFL debut on Oct. 20, but less than three months ago, he wasn’t sure he was going to survive a gunshot wound to the chest. ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry documented Pearsall’s comeback story which featured Sergeant Joelle Harell, the police officer who saved his life.
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On Aug. 31, Pearsall’s world was turned upside down. He was just a few weeks away from making his NFL debut with the 49ers when he was shot in the chest in an alleged robbery.
Pearsall was helped by Harell after she was on patrol a block away and heard two gunshots. The receiver was found with a gash to his head and a gunshot wound to his chest.
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Pearsall asked Harell the question that anybody would ask in that situation.
“Am I going to die?” he asked.
“It’s not your time,” Harell told Pearsall.
As the news broke about Pearsall’s hospitalization, general manager John Lynch received several calls saying the rookie was shot in the chest.
It was an incident that shook the football world.
The bullet wound to Pearsall’s chest miraculously missed any internal organ. Nine days after the incident, the 49ers invited Sergeant Harell to the team’s season opener where she was able to meet Pearsall’s parents, Rick and Erin.
“You are an angel,” Erin said to the sergeant who saved her son’s life.
Through tears and several embraces, Pearsall’s parents thanked the sergeant for being there for their son.
Harell was honored by the organization on the field before kickoff. The event was made even more special since it was the rookie’s 24th birthday.
Pearsall and Harell shared an embrace as the receiver gifted his hero his jersey.
Less than three months after the incident, Pearsall returned to the gridiron for the 49ers.
“I just felt like it was scripted, having that opportunity to step on the field again,” Pearsall said after his NFL debut. “After that catch, my teammates were saying they were happy for me and proud of me. That’s kind of when it all hit. Every day is not promised.”
Without the heroics of Harell, Pearsall’s debut wouldn’t have been possible. His journey back to the field is nothing short of miraculous.
No matter what the end result is for the 49ers this season, Pearsall’s remarkable story will be remembered for generations.
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