49ers HC Kyle Shanahan says he plans to coach team in first preseason game vs. Titans
· Yahoo Sports
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Saturday that he plans to coach the team in its first preseason game next weekend against the Tennessee Titans.
Shanahan has been sidelined from coaching due to the injuries he sustained in a car accident on July 14. The head coach has been dealing with a broken nose, three broken ribs and a broken hand. He also had a "severe" concussion and required more than 40 stitches in his face, according to ESPN.
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With the addition of the severe concussion, general manager John Lynch said that the head coach would have to go through the concussion protocol like players do.
GM John Lynch on Kyle Shanahan’s health and concussion from a car accident that will sideline him at start of training camp pic.twitter.com/Jw9lu7714d
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) July 25, 2026
Since Shanahan has been sidelined, assistant head coach Chris Foerster has taken over head-coaching duties for the time being.
The accident occurred on July 14, ESPN's Adam Schefter and Nick Wagoner reported. Shanahan's vehicle collided with an SUV near his home in Northern California.
He was taken by paramedics to a local hospital and spent most of the day there until he was released. Luckily, the other driver in the accident was not injured, according to Palo Alto police.
Shanahan later said that he took the blame for the crash. He said that he was the one who crossed the center line and that it was caused by his reaching for a cell phone that had dropped.
The initial accident report claimed that the head coach was not at fault for the accident, but Shanahan took the blame, saying, "I hit her. I don't know why it was reported [the other] way."
Shanahan added that the database, which does not contain drivers' names, was inaccurate, at least on that issue.
Palo Alto police backed up Shanahan's assertion, blaming "clerical error" to the discrepancies, according to The Athletic.
"I can confirm that Kyle Shanahan's statement that he provided is correct and that he was found at fault for the collision," Lt. Nicolas Martines said in a statement. "There was a clerical error in the preparation of the report that was transmitted to the State database. We are in the process of correcting that error. It is the officer's discretion at the scene of the collision as to whether they issue a citation to either party. It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision. Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment."
San Francisco will play three preseason games. The 49ers will play the Titans on Thursday, August 13, with Shanahan planning to take back over as the head coach. Notably, this is the only preseason game for San Francisco at home.
The Niners will then play the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders to end the preseason before taking on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 in Australia.