Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson claim Ricky Pearsall was at fault for not immediately turning over his Rolex after he was robbed following his gunshot wound on Saturday.
The two former NFL pros, who are considered “the most influential athletes on social media,” discussed Pearsall’s near-death experience on their podcast Nightcap, hours after the incident.
Pearsall was walking alone around 3:30 p.m. Saturday when a suspect attempted to rob him at gunpoint on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco’s Union Square neighborhood.
The rookie wide receiver refused to hand over his watch as he tried to defend himself from the robber, who was also found wounded by his own gunshot, police said.
“No material thing is worth your life,” the show Nightcap wrote of the footage of Sharpe and Johnson reacting to Pearsall’s plight.
Ricky Pearsall was walking down the street in San Francisco when he was mugged in the middle of the day
“Ricky Pearsall was shot during an attempted robbery… He’s in serious but stable condition,” Sharpe said, to which Johnson replied, “Okay, he’s good. There’s another lesson in this. Nothing is worth your life.
“You can buy another Rolex. If someone wants to steal your car, you can buy another car.”
“If someone comes up to you and doesn’t have a gun or a knife and says, ‘Ocho, give it up,’ would you take it off that quickly?” Sharpe then asked his co-host.
Without hesitation, Johnson replied, “Yes! If someone comes to you and says, ‘Let me take it from you,’ you already know they’re holding it.”
Pearsall and the suspect faced off in Union Square in San Francisco on Saturday
Police identified the suspect as a 17-year-old male from Tracy, California, about 63 miles (101 kilometers) east of San Francisco. He was also taken to San Francisco General.
His condition was not immediately released.
A weapon believed to belong to the suspect has been seized. Police say investigators believe he acted alone. There is no evidence that Pearsall was targeted because he plays for the city’s soccer team.