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SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco 49ers have been riddled with injuries in recent years, and there is a theory as to why.
A viral theory, although unproven, claims that the 49ers’ unusually high number of soft-tissue and non-contact injuries could be due to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) coming from a large electrical substation right next to their practice fields and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The claim is that being there for years could weaken the tendons and soft tissues, leading to more ACL tears, Achilles tendon injuries, hamstring pulls, and similar problems.
Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy, Dre Greenlaw and many others have been seriously injured over the past two years, sparking interest in the controversy. Greenlaw tore his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl two years ago, and Kittle tore his Achilles tendon last month in the playoffs.
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Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers falls after a tackle during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 1, 2024, in Orchard Park, New York. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
McCaffrey missed all but four games with Achilles tendonitis and a knee injury last season, but isn’t worried at all.
“Man, I’m not a scientist and I’m not a doctor. Look, we’ll play anywhere. You know, for us, I think it’s something that a lot of people smarter than me can talk about,” McCaffrey told PK Press Club Digital on the radio.
Purdy was pretty tight-lipped about the whole situation.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carried off the field during the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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“I don’t really know what to think about it. You know, I think people do their research on it and whatnot, but, you know, for me, I have no idea,” he said. “I mean, I’m going to continue to train there. Obviously, it’s my job and I love the Niners. So yeah, I have no other choice.”
Linebacker Fred Warner, who has missed time this season, had a rather different feeling. He “doesn’t know about it at the moment” but said he thinks research might be necessary.
“I think of course, since it’s such a hot topic, there’s going to be more research on it to see exactly if anything comes of it. But I think it’s been going on for so long that, of course, we had the injuries that we had last season, especially to the high profile players. So it was just a hot topic, basically, and we’ll see what comes out of that,” Warner said.
Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers is carried off the field after being injured in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the game at Raymond James Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The 49ers said they will look into what caused the increase in injuries, including electromagnetic field theory.
