SANTA CLARA -- NaVorro Bowman said he heard plenty of well wishes from Seahawks players following his knee injury in the 2013 NFC Championship.
He has not, however, heard anything of the sort from Seahawks fans, who infamously dumped popcorn on the 49ers linebacker as he was being carted off the field during that game.
"I remember it and that's been with me for a while," he said. "And no matter who gets hurt, you want to make sure they get back up on their feet and show some sign of respect, and I don't think the Seahawks fans did that at all. You can't keep a good man down. That's basically my message to them."
Bowman did not shy away from saying Sunday’s return to CenturyLink Field, his first since the injury, would be an emotional one.
He said he planned to visit the spot where his left ACL and MCL tore and will be "thanking God for the chance to be back out there."
He told defensive coordinator Eric Mangini this week that one of his recollections of the injury is that he wasn't able to hold onto the football, which he had stripped from a Seahawks receiver at the goal line.
"I wanted to get the ball and the pain kind of took over I guess," he said. "... That's just something that I think is in a football player. The knee is already done, so 'hold onto the ball' is what I wish I would have done."
Bowman repeatedly has said he has not fully bounced back from the injury. But the last two games have been perhaps his best of the season. He led all tacklers in a loss to the Rams in Week 8 then sparked the 49ers' defensive resurgence in a Week 9 win against the Falcons, a game in which then- league-leading rusher Devonta Freeman was held to 12 yards on 12 carries. Bowman currently ranks third in the NFL with 88 tackles.
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NaVorro Bowman to Seahawks fans: ‘You can't keep a good man down’ | The Sacramento Bee