Kyle Shanahan's phone normally isn't on, but he said it was in the early morning hours of Dec. 21.
The 49ers coach had an incoming call from backup quarterback C.J. Beathard at around 2 a.m. Beathard had just learned his brother "was in the hospital fighting for his life."
"And then he found out around [3 a.m.] that he didn't make it," Shanahan told 49ers play-by-play broadcaster Greg Papa on Saturday's episode of "49ers Game Plan." "So he called me, and I just ran up there and [spent] some time with him, waited until some other people got there and we could get all situated what we were gonna do, but it was a very sad and tough situation to be in that. I think everyone understands."
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Clayton Beathard, 22, and friend Paul Trapeni III, 21, were fatally stabbed on Dec. 21 outside of a Nashville bar. Nashville police arrested Michael D. Mosley, 37, on Christmas, charging him with two counts of criminal homicide and one count of attempted criminal homicide.
Mosley's attorney said that his client acted in self-defense, and Nashville police alleged Mosley's confrontation with Beathard and Trapeni turned violent after he made "unwanted advances" toward a female friend of Beathard's.
[RELATED: 49ers' Beathard tributes brother Clayton on Instagram after passing]
C.J. Beathard left the 49ers before their Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams after learning of his brother's passing, and Clayton's funeral services were set for Saturday. Shanahan said Beathard told his coach to tell the 49ers to "make sure" they beat the Rams, but Shanahan didn't share that with Beathard's teammates until after the game.
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"No, not at all, just because I didn't want to be 'Johnny Coach' saying something like that," Shanahan told Papa. "... It belittles what happens. That game doesn't matter at all compared to C.J.'s brother, and there's no way I would've said that to the team before. ...
"And he was hurting, but that was important to him, so it was really cool to be able to tell the team that after they did do something like that. I know it didn't help ease any of the pain, but at least we did something he asked us to do."