Legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali passed away late Friday night at the age of 74. The iconic athlete had been battling Parkinson's disease for years and was hospitalized in the Phoenix area this week with respiratory issues, per ESPN.
Many mourn the loss of the man still considered to be the greatest athlete of all time. Retired from boxing since 1981, he was entertaining, inspirational, and confident.
San Francisco 49ers players paid their respects to the legendary icon on social media. Here is what some had to say.
Over 90 percent of 49ers players are vaccinated, says John Lynch
By David Bonilla
Jul 27, 2021
General manager John Lynch informed reporters today that the San Francisco 49ers are among the teams that have surpassed the 85 percent vaccination threshold for players. The team has had a 100 percent vaccination rate among its Tier 1 and Tier 2 staff for a while now.
"Originally, everybody kind of had that goal on 85 percent, and I'm proud to say that we're up over 90 percent," Lynch said. "It really speaks to our players. We didn't enforce anything. What we tried to do is just communicate with our guys and rely on the professionals to educate them as much as possible. Our guys really arrived at this individually and as a team, and we're proud of them for that."
With the vast majority of players vaccinated, the 49ers are unlikely to have to worry about training
Frelund: Return of these two star players set up 49ers for playoff return
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Jul 24, 2021
Earlier this week, on a Game Theory segment, Cynthia Frelund gave her argument for why the San Francisco 49ers will make the playoffs in 2021 after missing out in 2020.
Frelund attributed their recent Super Bowl appearance as a factor in her decision as well as the multitude of injuries that affected the team last season.
"They were in the Super Bowl just like five minutes ago and they had a whole bunch of injuries, but they get all those players back."
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, Frelund highlighted star tight end George Kittle, who, according to Next Gen Stats, has averaged 8.0 yards after the catch per reception since 2018, which is the highest in the NFL given a minimum of 25 receptions.
In addition to Kittle,
Nick Bosa, Jason Verrett among 49ers players still evaluating vaccine decision
By David Bonilla
Jul 29, 2021
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa briefly paused during a long response to a reporter's question after practice on Thursday.
"It's tough with this mask," he said before continuing with his answer.
Bosa and cornerback Jason Verrett wore masks while speaking with reporters, quickly indicating that both are among the less than 10 percent of 49ers players who remain unvaccinated. Protocols demand that they wear masks while at the team's facilities — except during practices. If neither gets vaccinated, they will be limited by several league-imposed restrictions this season and have to undergo more frequent COVID testing.
"I'm just
How well do the 2021 49ers stack up to the 2019 team?
Lately I have listened to some podcasts and read some tweets comparing the current San Francisco 49ers team (2021) to the 2019 team that fell just short of winning the Super Bowl. I find the comparison interesting. And since many people quickly assume the 2021 49ers are not as good as the 2019 team, I wanted to take a look for myself. So as we prepare for the team to report on Tuesday, let's compare the two teams, position by position. For the purpose of this very scientific experiment, we will assume everyone is healthy (even though that never happens). Let's start on offense. The defensive comparison is coming soon.
Offense
Quarterback:
