'I can't judge him': 49ers receiver who was shot during California armed robbery wants to meet and forgive the shooter

A San Francisco 49ers player who was shot during an attempted robbery wants to make an impact on the young man who inflicted his wound.

Ricky Pearsall, a 24-year-old rookie wide receiver out of Florida, hadn't even started his career yet when he was shot by a 17-year-old in August. The teen was attempting to steal Pearsall's Rolex watch, Yahoo reported, but the football player resisted. Pearsall was shot in the chest, with the bullet going through his body and missing vital organs.

The suspect was shot in the arm during the struggle.

'I have to be able to forgive him.'

When asked if he was curious about the teenager's life and why he resorted to crime, Pearsall said, "Yeah, I'm curious, but sometimes you just don't have answers for that."

"I don't know where he came from or what environment he was in," Pearsall continued. "I don't how he grew up, so I can't judge him as a man just based off one action that he made. As violent as a crime as it was, God forbid him doing that to somebody else. I don't ever want that to happen, so ..."

Pearsall then expressed a desire to meet with the young man and forgive him.

"Just being able to forgive him — at the end of the day, like, I have to be able to forgive him to have that weight off my chest. At some point I do want to talk to the kid and make sure that, if I can create an impact on him in any way, I think that would be really big. I'd be definitely open to doing that."

Ricky Pearsall hugs his surgeon.Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Pearsall missed approximately six weeks after being released from hospital the day after the shooting; he visited 49ers practice just a few days later.

Pearsall's first game was October 20, recording three receptions for 21 yards. He ended his rookie season with 400 yards in 11 games; the 49ers missed the playoffs, however.

The 17-year-old male from Tracy, California, was charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and second-degree attempted robbery.

The defendant reportedly apologized through his lawyer and claimed he didn't mean to shoot Pearsall. The attorney claimed surveillance video would reveal that to be the case.

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