Kyle Shanahan's fondness for rapper Lil Wayne is no secret. Former NFL quarterback Phil Simms revealed in May that the San Francisco 49ers head coach's son, Carter, is named after the rapper, whose full name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.
Simms, who is currently with Bleacher Report, was a college teammate of Shanahan and remembers Lil Wayne's music being prominent within the coach's playlist at the time.
"He was obsessed with Lil Wayne my early years in the NFL," Simms said of Shanahan during a podcast in May. "Kyle's one of those guys, if you're hanging and we're drinking some beers or whatever, he's got to control the music. And he has A.D.D., so we can never actually listen to a full song. We'd listen for like 30 seconds, and he'd be, 'Oh, I've got another cool one.'"
Kyle Shanahan really named his son after Lil Wayne 😂 (via @SimmsAndLefkoe) pic.twitter.com/NlVPIPaLQV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2018
TMZ revealed on Thursday that the 49ers head coach recently received a care package from Lil Wayne. Once the rapper heard that Shanahan's son is named after him, he sent the two gifts which included albums, posters, and a personal greeting.
Here's what Lil Wayne sent Kyle Shanahan.
— Simms & Lefkoe (@SimmsAndLefkoe) July 26, 2018
"Hell, I have 3 boys of my own and only one is named after me!! LOL!"
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zQExaT7Gyd
Shanahan's taste in music may be rubbing off on his new quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that Lil Wayne is part of his pre-practice playlist which helps him get into the right mindset. Or it could merely be a coincidence. Although, Garoppolo said rapper 50 Cent's music was a part also on the playlist.
Garoppolo was part of a 49ers entourage, which included Shanahan, his son, and tight end George Kittle, that took a photo with 50 Cent before the Bellator 199 event held at the SAP Center in May.
Although it was cut from this take @49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo told me his pre-practice hype music usually includes something from 50 Cent and Lil Wayne.... https://t.co/PYqoJkz4V8
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) July 26, 2018
We work hard, so we play hard. pic.twitter.com/xwQeZK8YKs
— 50cent (@50cent) May 14, 2018