This was not the kind of headline anyone wanted to see. Get well soon, Keion White.
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Keion White was shot in the ankle early Monday morning in San Francisco. The incident happened while most of the city was asleep. By sunrise, the news had already shaken the NFL world.
According to reports, the shooting occurred in the early hours of the morning. Details are still limited, but what is clear is this: White was an innocent victim caught in a violent situation. He was taken to a local hospital shortly after the incident. Doctors determined the injury was serious enough to require surgery on his ankle.
White underwent successful surgery Monday afternoon, according to the team. His injuries are not considered to be career-threatening. The Niners said they “will provide further updates when appropriate.”
San Francisco police said they responded to a shooting at a business on the 1700 block of Mission Street at around 4:06 a.m. local time and found a victim with an apparent gunshot wound. The responding officers provided aid and called paramedics and said the victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“A preliminary investigation revealed a verbal altercation occurred between two groups inside a business,” the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. “The victim was injured when shots were fired by an unknown suspect.”
The incident also raises bigger questions. Player safety does not end when the game clock hits zero. NFL players are public figures, they move through cities like everyone else. Sometimes that comes with real danger and this is another reminder that violence does not care about fame.
For White, the focus now is recovery. Surgery is only step one, rehab comes next, then patience and then hope. Healing matters more than football right now.
Right now, the win is simple, he survived, the surgery was successful and the rest can wait.
Football can pause, health cannot!
