Chris Simms, friend of Kyle Shanahan, shares details of 49ers coach’s car accident

Chris Simms, friend and former college teammate of San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, shared details on Monday about Shanahan’s recovery from a car crash, which Simms said almost resulted in Shanahan losing his eye. Simms, while discussing the incident on “PFT Live,” also reiterated that Shanahan is dealing with lingering concussion symptoms.

On July 14, Shanahan collided with an SUV in Palo Alto, Calif., resulting in Shanahan suffering a concussion and fractures to his nose, ribs and hand. The driver of the SUV was not injured. The Niners released a statement about the incident 11 days later, ahead of the start of training camp. Simms, who co-hosts “PFT Live” with Mike Florio, said he had been waiting for the news to break in the days following Shanahan’s accident.

“I get a text from Kyle’s wife, Mandy. She texts myself and my wife, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, Kyle’s been a part of some horrible accident,’” Simms said. “And she sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ So just to let you know, paint the picture, you’ve seen the injury report, the broken ribs, 40 stitches in the face, the broken nose, broken left hand. Of course, the bad concussion. But when you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring.

“He was this close to maybe losing his right eye, right? The scar is so big right here. And so, all that stuff was just crazy to see. And, of course, I was thinking of my friend, but yeah, it’s tough. And he’s still battling with this concussion. … He’s healing. His face looks a whole lot better, but this concussion, of course, being a part of that kind of accident is lingering, and it’s giving him issues, and he’s certainly still dealing with that.”

Simms said he believed Shanahan, 46, was on his way back from a chiropractic adjustment when the accident happened. After the collision, Shanahan was taken to a local hospital. No one has been cited in the accident, and drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been involved, according to a Palo Alto police report.

Simms, who played quarterback at Texas while Shanahan was a receiver there, said his friend was shaken up by the severity of the accident and how it could have been worse.

“I don’t think he’d (Shanahan) have any problem with me sharing this. It hit him hard, right? He was emotional about it, because he realized how close it was to being just a complete, you know, utter disaster. Like, really, it was a disaster anyways. But, you know, when you’re that part of that accident, like I said, he could have lost his right eye. It could have been a lot worse,” Simms said. “He’s very concerned about the woman he got in the accident with and how she is and handling that situation. So there’s just a lot there.

“And I think it was a lot for him to process … at first, as well. And then, of course, with it being, you know, a few days before you’ve got to start going to the office and worrying about football and everything else on top of it, where your break’s ending and you’re dealing with that as well, yeah, it was tough for him. It’s tough for their family. Their kids were in shock, and, you know, you just realize how fragile life can be, and how it can all change in just one split second. And thank God he’s OK. But, yeah, he’s gonna have to deal with this and, you know, hopefully get his mind cleared up here over the next few weeks.”

Niners general manager John Lynch said the team would treat Shanahan’s concussion as if he were a player who’d suffered one. The head coach’s participation will be limited at training camp, though he did make an appearance on the practice field for about 30 minutes on Sunday. Shanahan’s longtime assistant Chris Foerster, whose title is assistant to head coach/offensive line, will run training camp with an assist from defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and others.

“It took a few days for him to realize, ‘Whoa, I’m not working the right way,’” said Simms of Shanahan. “You know, at first, ‘Yeah, I got in a car accident.’ And, of course, you know you’re going to be a little fuzzy and not normal. But then I feel like it got into somewhere like day six or seven, and you’re starting to now [say], ‘Hey, I should start feeling better. I should start thinking more clearly.’ And I know he was a little alarmed about, like, ‘I’m not functioning at a high level.’”

Simms stressed the importance of Shanahan’s recovery and his return to the field as the preseason ramps up. The Niners open Week 1 on Thursday, Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia, against the Los Angeles Rams.

“All these coaches are psychos in a good way. Shanahan is who he is because he has a high-functioning brain and he’s got the ability to multitask and be creative and coach a team and be detailed and all of that, as well,” Simms said. “I don’t think it should be underestimated how big of a deal this is. This is like back to ‘Deflategate’ with Bill Belichick having to miss a few days of work getting ready for the Super Bowl. It’s concerning.”