Kyle Shanahan delivered emotional speech to 49ers on C.J. Beathard amid tragedy

“He barely could talk, and he said to me, ‘You guys go make sure you win this game.'”

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan got choked up after the team’s 34-31 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night in Week 16.

After quarterback C.J. Beathard’s brother was fatally stabbed outside a bar in Nashville this weekend, the game became about more than football.

Shanahan addressed his team in the locker room after the win, and had nothing but nice things to say to his team — even if he didn’t use the nicest language. (The TV broadcast showed the speech with explicit language, but the 49ers’ digital team managed to clean it up.) Shanahan explained that Beathard asked one thing of his coach: win that game on Saturday.

“Guys I think we’ve done it every way, but you guys keep finding another way to win,” Shanahan said in the locker at Levi’s Stadium after the win. “That was a hell of a job, everybody dude. By no means was it perfect. The heart for everybody here throughout that whole game — the highs and lows we went through for you guys to persevere. Guys, two third-and-16s. Right where we want to have them, right? Guys, this means so much to all of us, everyone who works here. Guys, as cool of a win as there could be. 12 wins for our team. We know we’ve got one more.”

Shanahan then turned his attention to a graver topic as he got choked up.

“Also, I didn’t know what to say to you guys at the beginning of the day, because you guys know what happened last night. Having to go spend an hour with C.J. last night and just being with him during that, you guys know how tough it is for him and his family right now,” Shanahan said. “He was like any one of us would have been: distraught, struggling to talk. He barely could talk, and he said to me, ‘You guys go make sure you win this game.’ And I didn’t want to say that at the beginning because this game doesn’t mean anything compared to his brother. … (Beathard’s) got our backs, just like we have his. It was a special day for you guys, and I’m so glad you guys could do that for him.”

Perhaps the 49ers provided a small win for a young man who is dealing with a tremendous loss.

The 49ers eliminated a division rival, the Rams, from the playoffs while keeping San Francisco in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Their Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks could determine which NFC team finishes with home-field advantage and a first-round bye.

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Brother of Niners’ QB C.J. Beathard fatally stabbed

Clayton Beathard was one of two people fatally stabbed in Tennessee.

Tragedy struck the San Francisco 49ers family Saturday when the brother of backup quarterback C.J. Beathard was fatally stabbed in Nashville.

Per Metro Nashville police:

The two men fatally stabbed during a fight Saturday at 2:50 a.m. involving several persons outside the Dogwood Bar & Grill, 1907 Division Street, are identified as Clayton Beathard, 22, and Paul Trapeni III, 21.

The fatal stabbings appear to have resulted from an argument over a woman that began inside Dogwood Bar and then turned physical when the parties went outside. Multiple persons were involved in the outdoor fight during which the two men were both fatally stabbed in their sides. Beathard, of Thompson Station, and Trapeni, of Franklin, were both transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where they died. A third stabbing victim, a 21-year-old man, was treated and released.

Midtown Hills Precinct detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the man in the attached surveillance photo who is being sought for questioning in the fatal stabbings.  Anyone who recognizes him from the attached photo is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Clayton Beathard completed his junior season as Long Island University’s starting quarterback. His father, Casey, is a country music songwriter, and he and his wife, Susan, have another son, Tucker, who is a country music singer. Grandfather Bobby Beathard is a former NFL executive who was enshrined last year in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Clayton Beathard played in seven games for LIU and threw for 1,071 yards and four touchdowns. He transferred from Iowa Western C.C.

The Tennessean offered background on Clayton Beathard and Trapeni.

The two men previously went to Battle Ground Academy, where counselors will be made available at 3 p.m. at the student center

“We are devastated by this tragic loss to our community,” BGA Head of School Will Kessler said. “No one should have to endure such a terrible loss of loved ones.  We pray for the families and their friends for strength, support, and guidance through this most difficult time.”

Chapman Finn, a former teammate of both men, said he would remember their character.