{"id":747470,"date":"2026-02-12T17:20:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/747470\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:20:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:20:21","slug":"nfl-news-george-kittle-wants-49ers-facility-substation-theory-investigated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/747470\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL news: George Kittle wants 49ers facility substation theory investigated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

The San Francisco 49ers<\/a>\u2019 practice facility theory, where being positioned next to an electrical substation is causing an increase in injuries, remains alive after tight end George Kittle\u2019s comments during a recent interview.<\/p>\n

Kittle, who suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers\u2019 Wild Card Round loss to the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks, spoke with Complex<\/a> on Wednesday when he was asked about this theory.<\/p>\n

While Kittle doesn\u2019t believe it\u2019s true, he does want further investigation into it because of something he noticed during his rookie year in 2017.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n

\"George <\/p>\n

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off the field during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As Kittle was focused on making an impact with his NFL<\/a> squad, one of his veteran teammates pointed out that the trees between the team\u2019s facility and the substation never grew the leaves it should all year.<\/p>\n

The NFL had the trees cut down this year, Kittle added.<\/p>\n

“(The trees aren\u2019t) there anymore, so no one can see them,” Kittle said. “So, it\u2019s only us vets that know that was the truth. I don\u2019t think anyone talked about that yet. That one messed me up.”<\/p>\n

49ERS STARS EVEN-KEELED ON ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD INJURY THEORY: \u2018I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Again, Kittle doesn\u2019t believe the rumors are true, but he also wants a definitive answer. He added that teammate Kyle Juszczyk and others feel the same.<\/p>\n

“As a professional athlete, you\u2019re always trying to get one percent better. If something\u2019s affecting you negatively .25%, you\u2019d want to know about it. All we\u2019re saying as players is we\u2019d like them to look into it to make sure it\u2019s not something,” Kittle said.<\/p>\n

To back Kittle\u2019s thought that the substation isn\u2019t doing anything to the players, he noted Fred Warner, who suffered a broken ankle in October that knocked him out for the season. Warner trains at the facility year-round, and the ankle injury was the only major one he\u2019s had in his career.<\/p>\n

\"George <\/p>\n

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) looks on during San Francisco 49ers minicamp on June 10, 2025 at SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, California. (Matthew Huang\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital also spoke to some of Kittle\u2019s teammates during Super Bowl LX week, including Warner, Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey<\/a>, all of whom were content with the facility.<\/p>\n

“Dude, I am not a scientist, and I’m not a doctor. Look, we’ll play anywhere. You know, for us, I think that’s stuff that a lot of people smarter than me can talk about,” McCaffrey told Fox News Digital on radio row.<\/p>\n

“All I know is, you know, there’s too many variables in football to just say that something like that is the reason for injuries. I mean, you can do everything right and bad things can still happen, so.”<\/p>\n

The theory, which has now gone viral, suggests the 49ers\u2019 unusually high number of soft tissue and non-contact injuries could be due to the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from the substation. The claim is that being around the substation for years could weaken tendons and soft tissue, leading to serious injury like an ACL or Achilles tear.<\/p>\n

\"George <\/p>\n

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) watches from the sideline in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. (David Gonzales\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

McCaffrey, Kittle, Purdy, Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Ricky Pearsall and numerous others have dealt with those types of injuries over the last couple of seasons, which the theory points at.<\/p>\n

ESPN reported in January that the team does plan to investigate every theory, not just the one involving the substation, this offseason to determine why their injury list was so long in 2025.<\/p>\n

Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s\u00a0sports coverage on X<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to\u00a0the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n