Kyle Shanahan, returning after serious car crash, has new perspective on Tesla Autopilot and concussions

At his archetypal property league since causing a car clang that near him with breached ribs, a breached nose, a breached near hand, facial lacerations and a concussion, San Francisco 49ers manager Kyle Shanahan announced he'll instrumentality to the sideline for his team's archetypal preseason crippled this week.

But Shanahan wasn't done announcing.

He besides made it wide his head-on collision successful July, for which he's taken responsibility, has near him with a caller position connected Tesla's autopilot diagnostic that seemingly drives the car by itself, and concussions, which are a important portion of each NFL seasons.

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San Francisco 49ers caput manager Kyle Shanahan speaks astatine a quality league aft an NFL shot crippled against the Los Angeles Rams successful Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

"When you're going astatine 20 miles an hour, and you're connected autopilot, I honestly person zero worries," Shanahan told reporters. "I person truthful overmuch spot successful that stuff. That was a bully acquisition that you can't ever person zero worries. I deliberation it decidedly could beryllium an illustration for a batch of people."

Shanahan is not a Tesla hater. He didn't protestation the marque oregon Elon Musk backmost successful 2025. In fact, he's owned Teslas for years.

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But this clang has made him spot his driving acquisition differently.

"Dropping a phone, it falling each the mode to my backmost spot to wherever I person to afloat instrumentality my eyes disconnected the road, it's thing that I usually wouldn’t do," Shanahan said. "I've had autopilot for 9 years, truthful I'm beauteous comfy with it. Who knows what happened erstwhile I turned around. Whether it malfunctioned oregon whether I knocked it off, that's thing I don't cognize yet.

"But regardless, it is ever your fault, whether you're connected autopilot oregon not. You can't instrumentality your eyes disconnected the road. It's a concern driving. You don't conscionable crook it implicit to a computer. It's a bully lesson, nary substance however comfy I americium with that, that I judge someday could prevention my beingness oregon idiosyncratic else's. It's truly helped maine person position connected that stuff."

San Francisco 49ers caput manager Kyle Shanahan, left, reacts adjacent to antiaircraft coordinator Robert Saleh, middle, during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Jacksonville Jaguars successful Santa Clara, California, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Shanahan hasn't been coaching the Niners astatine the outset of grooming campy to the grade helium usually would. Even now, with the stitches connected his look yet out, and Thursday's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans looming, he's inactive walking astir with a formed and immoderate lingering effects of the crash.

And that has led him to presumption his players' concussions successful a antithetic light.

Shanahan, similar galore NFL coaches, is not intimately progressive successful the travel of his players done the league's concussion protocol. They bash not find erstwhile a subordinate is cleared to instrumentality to signifier oregon games.

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But now, Shanahan admits, helium "no doubt" has a caller position connected concussions.

San Francisco 49ers caput manager Kyle Shanahan watches from the sideline during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers successful Tampa, Florida, connected Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

"Just small things, similar erstwhile they statement things, similar whether it's terrible oregon mild," helium said. "You perceive idiosyncratic has a mild one, I'm like, ‘Oh, alright. It mightiness beryllium 1 game, but usually that's two.’ Then you benignant of larn those are conscionable words. Each one's a small spot different.

"I decidedly tin subordinate to however scary it is erstwhile you don't cognize if you volition consciousness close again. It's decidedly made maine much educated connected it. Usually I conscionable listen, and like, ‘Tell maine when, OK,’ and I determination on. But I recognize it a batch amended and what guys got to spell done the protocol to get back."

Shanahan admits he's inactive not 100% pursuing his concussion. He reports helium inactive experiences headaches and fatigue.

Noise, peculiarly the soundtrack played implicit loudspeakers astatine practice, is nary longer the situation it was earlier.

"AC/DC wounded a batch much than immoderate smoother hip-hop, but I deliberation those days are over," helium said. "Noise doesn't fuss maine similar it was. I really person 2 symptoms, I consciousness like, and that's headaches and fatigue. That's each I'm feeling close now."

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