San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said head coach Kyle Shanahan is still experiencing concussion symptoms, nearly two weeks afer he was involved in a car accident.
“Kyle basically is going to be like in the [concussion] protocol,” Lynch, 54, said on Saturday, July 25, according to ESPN. “And we’re going to let the doctors dictate how he comes back, when he comes back. He’s been in the building, so we’ve seen him. It’s kind of like we do with our players, a phased back approach. Number one for Kyle and the Shanahan family is getting him back right.”
Lynch clarified that there is no defined concussion protocol for team staffers, but that assistant head coach Chris Foerster and the rest of the staff will assume some of Shanahan’s duties while he recovers.
The accident occurred on July 14, when Shanahan’s car collided with an SUV near the coach’s California home, ESPN reported. Shanahan, 46, broke his nose and sustained three broken ribs and a broken hand. He also reportedly needed more than 40 stitches in his face.
The other driver suffered no injuries, neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected to be involved, and neither driver was cited for the collision.
“He did break his nose, and some black eyes are getting better,” Lynch continued. “He broke some ribs, that’s painful, but that’s not what’s keeping him away. It’s the concussion. And like I said, we’ll continue to evaluate him, phase him back. And as he can tolerate things, we’ll expand those. And that will clearly be dictated by the doctors and nothing else.”
Training camp is already underway for the 49ers and they will play their first preseason game on Thursday, August 13, at home against the Tennessee Titans.
“We’re not blinking,” Lynch said. “I believe our culture kind of speaks for itself, and we believe what our culture is, the people. Chris is one of those who we think very highly of. He’s equipped to do this. Our staff is equipped, but it will very much be a collective effort.”
San Francisco won’t open the regular season until September 10, when they fly to Melbourne, Australia to face the Los Angeles Rams. Lynch said he anticipates Shanahan will be back as full-time head coach by then.
“But just like we talked about with players, the timeline kind of takes care of itself,” he said. “He’s got to meet certain markers. But I think the expectation is that long before that he’ll be better.”
Lynch added, “But again, everybody responds to these things differently, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to have him right when he comes back.”
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