SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall says he was unsure of his fate after he was shot in the chest during an armed robbery last year near San Francisco's Union Square.

"My adrenaline was rushing. I didn't feel, really, much pain at all. It was just more of like a burning sensation," Pearsall told ESPN in a sit-down interview. "I'm very religious. I'm a Christian. I just didn't know if I was going to go to heaven or hell.

"I definitely thought about my family ... not knowing if I was going to tell my family I love them again."

Recounting the Aug. 31, 2024, situation in-depth for the first time, Pearsall said he saw in his peripheral vision someone approaching him as he opened the back of his car to place shopping bags inside his vehicle.

Pearsall, who e

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