Perhaps it's only a coincidence that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has a tattoo of praying hands on the right side of his chest, or maybe it's a sign that someone or something was looking over him last weekend when he survived a gunshot “about 2 inches” below that tattoo.

For nearly an hour after Ricky Pearsall had been shot, all that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and everyone within the  organization could do was pray, because there was limited information about the health status of their rookie wideout.

“It was really tough,” Kyle Shanahan shared a few days later, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “We just knew that he got shot. And that was all we knew. And then it took us about an hour to figure out what the hospital was and things like that, because we just made a couple calls to people, so we had it from them. But none of us knew where he was or anything.”

Eventually, the 49ers received word that Pearsall was conscious and would fully recover, but still, there were rightful concerns about his well-being. In time, Pearsall was able to call Shanahan via FaceTime.

“That was like the first time I knew he was all right,” Shanahan said. “It was really amazing. Because that hour when you hear about a shooting, we didn't know where it was or anything, so you just assume the worst. Then to hear it was in the chest, you don't think that usually goes that well. Then actually to talk to him like 15 minutes after that, and just talk to a guy that seems like he's okay.”

Not only was Ricky Pearsall okay, but he was angling to play in San Francisco's season opener against the Jets on September 9th. Naturally, the 49ers denied this request and placed Pearsall on the Non-Football Injury list.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
© Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images

Ricky Pearsall back with San Francisco 49ers 

While Pearsall was still in the hospital, he was able to FaceTime not just with Kyle Shanahan, but with the entire team via a large screen TV and speakers. But it wasn't long after Pearsall was released from the hospital that he was already back at the team facility, watching practice from the sideline.

“He's as tough a person I know, just going through a situation like that,” the 49ers head coach said. “We always felt this way watching him on the football field and things like that. But kind of to watch how he handled that situation and watch how he's been every day since; it shows how special of a guy he is.”

Special. Tough. Blessed. Ricky Pearsall might be all of the above.