SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In the hour before the San Francisco 49ers began their Wednesday afternoon practice, coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch expressed hope that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would participate.
The reason for that unrewarded hope? A clean bill of health for Aiyuk from 49ers team doctors.
But during the roughly 30-minute window in which media is allowed to watch practice, Aiyuk was nowhere to be seen. That brings Aiyuk and the Niners to the latest and perhaps most volatile point in this drawn-out contract dispute.
Before Wednesday, Aiyuk had been considered a "hold in" because he reported to training camp on time and has been attending meetings with the rest of the team.