Police Reveal Stunning Reason Kyle Shanahan Wasn’t Charged Despite Being At Fault For Serious Car Crash
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted this week that he caused his July 14 car crash, but Palo Alto police have now revealed why he never received a citation.
According to ESPN, officers chose not to ticket Shanahan as a matter of discretion, not because they believed he was not responsible for the collision.
A Palo Alto Police Department spokesperson told the outlet that it is “not uncommon” for officers to decide against issuing citations after traffic crashes.
“It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision,” the spokesperson said. “Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment.”
The department also confirmed that a statewide California collision database incorrectly blamed the other driver because of a clerical error, not because investigators concluded she caused the crash.
Kyle Shanahan Detailed Crash And Serious Injuries This Week
Shanahan met with a small group of reporters on Tuesday to explain the collision for the first time.
He said his iPhone slipped from his lap and fell between the driver’s seat and center console while he was driving his Tesla. As he reached down to retrieve it, he briefly took his eyes off the road and drifted into oncoming traffic before striking an SUV driven by a 21-year-old woman.
Shanahan emphasized that he was retrieving the phone, not actively using it.
The crash left the 49ers coach with a concussion, a broken nose, three broken ribs, a broken left hand and a facial laceration that required 40 stitches. He later showed reporters a photo of his injuries and described the wound as severe.
Despite Shanahan’s public account, Palo Alto police have declined to release the official collision report and the responding officers’ body camera footage. The department said both records are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act.
ESPN also reported that Shanahan initially expressed a willingness to share the police report. However, 49ers vice president of security Jeremy Jones opposed releasing it, citing privacy concerns because it contains information identifying the other driver.
The 49ers waited 11 days before publicly disclosing the crash, explaining that Shanahan was recovering from concussion symptoms and that the team wanted to allow authorities time to complete their work before discussing the incident.
