San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has shared a strange anecdote about dead trees near the team’s practice facility after the debate over electromagnetic field conspiracy theories intensified
In a season that fell apart both on and off the field, George Kittle has introduced a disturbing new dimension to the San Francisco 49ers’ strangest narrative.
The 49ers’ 41-6 NFC Divisional Round loss to the Seattle Seahawks brought their season to a close, but attention quickly turned to injuries. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams all sustained season-ending injuries.
Kittle himself ruptured his Achilles in the Wild Card round. As frustration grew, so did renewed focus on the electrical substation next to the team’s practice facility and Levi’s Stadium,
ultimately prompting the team to finally acknowledge the issue and commit to taking action. It comes as an ESPN star said that an NBC presenter should have been “fired on the spot” during the Super Bowl pregame show.
Conspiracy theories connecting the substation’s electromagnetic fields to soft-tissue injuries have been around for years.
Medical professionals have consistently stated that there is no scientific foundation for the claim, and general manager John Lynch publicly expressed doubt about the theory.
However, during a recent appearance on Complex News, Kittle revealed an anecdote that he confessed still troubles him.
“The one thing that messes me up with it, this is tough, my rookie season there used to be trees in between the substation and our practice facility,” Kittle said.
“There’s a fence there too and above the fence all the trees had no leafs on them, year round, all dead. Nobody notices it until you point it out.”
Kittle revealed that a veteran first brought the trees to his attention during his rookie season. “A vet pointed it out to me my rookie season and I was like, ‘That’s kind of weird,'” he said. “I didn’t point it out to Kyle Shanahan until 2021.
“But then this year the NFL came in and cut them all down,” Kittle added. “So they’re not there anymore so no one can see them.
“So it’s only us vets that know that was the truth. I don’t think anyone talked about that yet. That one messed me up.”
Kittle did not suggest the substation is responsible for injuries, and there is no confirmed data linking electromagnetic fields from the facility to player health concerns.Kittle tore his Achilles in an NFL playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks(Image: Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Independent specialists who have examined viral social media theories have dismissed the claim as baseless, pointing out the 49ers are not statistical anomalies in soft-tissue or ligament injuries when compared to the rest of the league.
Nevertheless, perception has become part of the issue. The substation, run by Silicon Valley Power and expanded when Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014, has become a convenient target whenever injuries accumulate.
