49ers’ Kyle Shanahan makes cameo at first practice since horrifying accident

SANTA CLARA — A mustachioed man, further obscuring his face with sunglasses and a black baseball cap, appeared midway through the 49ers’ first practice of training camp.

Once the cameras were gone, he walked to midfield, where he stood and observed, sharing a few words with general manager John Lynch and greetings with a handful of key players.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, shown in a file photo before his horrific crash, made a brief appearance Sunday at training camp. AP

It was Kyle Shanahan.

Twelve days since he sustained severe injuries in a car crash near his Los Altos Hills home, the 49ers head coach made a brief cameo as his team went through 11-on-11 drills.

While assistant head coach Chris Foerster ran practice with the rest of the coaching staff, Shanahan watched on from afar before retreating from the summer heat after 30 minutes or so.

Besides a cast on his left hand, Shanahan looked no worse for the wear. According to ESPN, he received 40 stitches on his face, broke his nose and blackened both his eyes. He also broke multiple ribs in the accident that took place with one other car July 14.

But in his brief appearance at practice, the cast was the only visible sign of the lasting effects.

Shanahan was expected to be “limited” in his duties during training camp, primarily from the lingering effects of the concussion he suffered in the crash, according to Lynch.

This story will be updated.