San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan suffered significant injuries in a July 14 car crash and will therefore be limited when the team begins training camp Sunday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Nick Wagoner. The 49ers confirmed Shanahan's crash and announced assistant Chris Foerster will "handle head coaching responsibilities" in the interim.
Shanahan collided with an SUV near his Northern California home, resulting in a broken nose, three broken ribs, a broken hand, over 40 facial stitches and a severe concussion, per ESPN. The 46-year-old spent several hours at a local hospital while the other driver was uninjured, according to Palo Alto Lt. Nicholas Martinez. Shanahan is reportedly recovering well at home, but he won't be cleared
for all training camp activities until he stops exhibiting concussion symptoms.
Drugs and alcohol were not involved in the collision, according to police, and neither driver was cited.
With the 49ers beginning training camp Sunday morning, here's what we know about the assistant who's suddenly been pressed into head coaching duties.
Who is Chris Foerster?
Foerster, 64, has spent the last seven seasons on the 49ers' coaching staff. He was a game-planning assistant from 2019-20 before becoming the offensive line coach in 2021. Since then, he's earned the titles of run game coordinator and assistant head coach.
Prior to this San Francisco stint, Foerster coached for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Washington and the Miami Dolphins. The Milwaukee native resigned from his role as the Dolphins' run game coordinator and offensive line coach back in 2018 after a video of him snorting cocaine off his desk went viral. Foerster went on to get 60 days of intensive inpatient drug and alcohol treatment, according to Tom Pelissero.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Who is Chris Foerster? 49ers assistant handling HC duties after Kyle Shanahan car crash
