Police confirm that "clerical error" attributed fault to other driver in Kyle Shanahan crash - NBC Sports

What the report says

NBCSports.com’s ProFootballTalk reported that Palo Alto police have confirmed an error in official records related to a July car crash involving San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. The report, by Mike Florio and published July 29, said Lt. Nicolas Martinez of the Palo Alto Police Department acknowledged that a database entry had incorrectly assigned fault to the other driver.

According to the NBCSports.com account, Martinez said Shanahan’s own public explanation was accurate: police found Shanahan at fault in the collision. The lieutenant described the incorrect fault designation as a clerical mistake in the report sent to the state database and said the department was working to fix it. He also said officers have discretion over whether to issue citations at crash scenes, that no citation was issued to either driver, and that neither person received special treatment.

The development matters because the crash had drawn added scrutiny after the 49ers did not acknowledge it publicly for 11 days. NBCSports.com reported that the incident occurred July 14 and was not disclosed until July 25, as the team was opening training camp. Shanahan later moved to correct the public record after documents appeared to blame the other driver.

ProFootballTalk framed the episode as one in which delayed disclosure intensified questions about transparency and whether Shanahan was treated differently because of his status. The police statement addresses the specific issue of fault in the state database, but the article noted that the timing of the team’s disclosure and the absence of a citation may continue to fuel public skepticism.