Many were hoping that an official police report or perhaps bodycam footage would provide some clarification about the fishy aspects of the car crash involving San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. None of that, apparently, is going to happen. In fact, thanks to a newly released police statement, there are now even more questions about the accident.
Numerous people have asked the first and most obvious question, but the police can’t answer it. At least it doesn’t appear that they can. And that is, how did the car accident go unreported by the 49ers and/or ESPN for 11 days? Kyle Shanahan didn’t explain that when he spoke to the media for the first time since the accident, so that question may never be answered.
Also, why did the initial reports state that the 21-year-old female driver of the vehicle that Kyle Shanahan hit in a head-on collision was at fault? Shanahan claimed it was a “clerical error,” but that doesn’t explain why the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the woman, driving a blue 2025 Mercedes SUV, made an unsafe turn while going in the opposite direction of Shanahan on a four-lane street in Palo Alto.
Also, since Kyle Shanahan very clearly accepted blame for the accident, saying he took his eyes off the road to look for his phone and his “car veered into someone,” why didn’t an officer ticket him? Vehicle collision data reported by the Palo Alto Police to a state database also clearly states Shanahan was in violation of a California law that bars drivers from touching a cellphone while driving.
What Did The Police Say About Kyle Shanahan’s Car Crash?
On Thursday, Palo Alto Police doubled down on the “clerical error” excuse in a statement to ESPN and said they will not give Kyle Shanahan a citation.
Why? A Palo Alto Police spokesperson said, “It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision. “Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment.”
When the Palo Alto Police Department received a public records request from TMZ for the accident report and bodycam footage, they told the media outlet, “Nothing will be released related to this accident.”
Why? The Palo Alto Police Department said the bodycam video and the accident report are “exempt from disclosure” under the California Public Records Act.
During his meeting with reporters this week, Kyle Shanahan seemed surprised that his accident has led to so much interest.
“I think if I was in trouble with something, we’d have to F’ing explain more,” Shanahan said. “I get who I am. I get all that. I just thought once everyone saw that it was all right, that there was no tickets, that there was none of that stuff. I thought everyone would know that. And that hasn’t been the case.”
Additionally, he seemed willing to give reporters the police report, but Jeremy Jones, the team’s head of security, intervened. Why? According to Jones, the crew did not believe it was appropriate to disclose anything that could identify the other driver. The 49ers also refused ESPN’s request for a redacted copy of the report that protected her identity.
It will certainly be interesting to see if anyone can track down the 21-year-old female driver who Kyle Shanahan crashed into and get her side of the story. Perhaps then some questions will finally be answered.