Sources: 49ers fire head strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright

Share

The 49ers this week fired head strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright, multiple sources told NBC Sports Bay Area.

The 49ers plan to restructure the strength and conditioning department, according to the sources, and the status of the remainder of the staff remains unclear.

The 49ers were plagued by injuries during the two seasons that Wright served as head strength and conditioning coach under Kyle Shanahan. The team finished with records of 6-10 in 2017 and 4-12 in 2018.

This season, 17 players spent time on injured reserve, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon, who sustained torn ACLs. Garoppolo sustained his season-ending injury during a Week 3 game in Kansas City, and McKinnon went down one week before the start of the regular season in an injury sustained on the 49ers' practice field in Santa Clara.

In 2017, the 49ers placed 24 players on injured reserve.

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch suggested Monday during the team’s season-ending press conference that changes were being considered.

“It's been too big of a deal for two years,” Shanahan said. “Injuries are pretty random, but it's also affected us huge. So that's something that we definitely have to sit back and really look at it from all angles and put a lot of time into. Just try to find a better perspective at it.”

Lynch said the team was studying the reasons for the rash of injuries.

“There's an old adage in football,” Lynch said. “I don't know if it's exclusive to football, but your best ability is availability. We haven't had a lot of guys available and that's something we're looking into hard. It's been ongoing.

“We'll continue to do that because it's something that needs to change, and I don't think anyone's to blame. We have been studying it. We'll continue to, and try to get a handle on that.”

Prior to coming to the 49ers, Wright worked with Shanahan in two previous jobs. Wright spent five seasons with Washington (2010-14) and eight seasons with Houston. In Wright's final year in Houston (2009), he served as head strength and conditioning coach before joining Mike Shanahan's staff with Washington.

The most notable change Wright made after coming to the 49ers was the construction of a “hill” — 20 yards in length, reaching 30 feet at a 30 percent grade — used for rehabilitation and conditioning.

Here is the list of 49ers who spent time on injured reserve during the past two seasons:

2018
Aaron Burbridge (hamstring)
Matt Breida (ankle)
Adrian Colbert (ankle)
Jonathan Cooper (knee)
Brock Coyle (concussion)
J.P. Flynn (Knee)
Pierre Garçon (knee)
Jimmy Garoppolo (knee)
*Marcell Harris (Achilles)
Jerick McKinnon (knee)
Emmanuel Moseley (arm)
Raheem Mostert (forearm)
Dante Pettis (knee)
Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder)
Jimmie Ward (forearm)
*Dekoda Watson (calf)
Ahkello Witherspoon (knee)

2017
Arik Armstead (hand)
*Ronald Blair (thumb)
Victor Bolden (ankle)
Trent Brown (shoulder)
Aaron Burbridge (hamstring)
*Tank Carradine (ankle)
Jayson DiManche (hamstring)
Pierre Garçon (neck)
Joshua Garnett (knee)
Jimmie Gilbert (knee)
Garry Gilliam (knee)
Cole Hikutini (knee)
Asa Jackson (hamstring)
Chanceller James (knee)
B.J. Johnson (hamstring)
Chris Jones (undisclosed)
Don Jones (knee)
Erik Magnusson (shoulder)
Raheem Mostert (knee)
Donovin Newsome (concussion)
Malcolm Smith (pectoral)
Jaquiski Tartt (forearm)
Jimmie Ward (forearm)
Joe Williams (ankle)
*—Player returned from injured reserve to play during the season

Contact Us