George Kittle shared an eerie story about trees that were “all dead” near the San Francisco 49ers’ facility, adding fresh intrigue to the ongoing substation injury conspiracy debate
18:39 ET, 11 Feb 2026
George Kittle spoke up about the power plant next to Levi's Stadium
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George Kittle spoke up about the power plant next to Levi's Stadium(Image: Getty)
In a season that unraveled as much off the field as it did on it, George Kittle has added a grim new layer to the San Francisco 49ers’ most bizarre storyline.
The 49ers’ 41-6 NFC Divisional Round loss to the Seattle Seahawks ended their season, but the conversation quickly shifted to injuries. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams all suffered season-ending setbacks.
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Kittle himself tore his Achilles in the Wild Card round. As frustration mounted, so did renewed attention on the electrical substation adjacent to the team’s practice facility and Levi's Stadium, resulting in the team finally addressing the issue and deciding to take action.
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Conspiracy theories linking the substation’s electromagnetic fields to soft-tissue injuries have circulated for years. Medical experts have repeatedly said there is no scientific basis for the claim, and general manager John Lynch publicly addressed and expressed skepticism about the theory.
But during a recent appearance on Complex News, Kittle shared an anecdote that he admitted still unsettles 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.
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“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 said a veteran first mentioned the trees to him during his rookie year. “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.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle #85 is carted off the field during the NFL Wild Card game between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles on January 11th, 2026 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA
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Kittle suffered a non-contact injury against the Philadelphia Eagles and was ruled out (Image: Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“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.”
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Kittle did not claim the substation is causing injuries, and there is no verified data connecting electromagnetic fields from the site to player health issues.
Independent experts who have reviewed viral social media claims have called the theory unfounded, noting the 49ers are not statistical outliers in soft-tissue or ligament injuries compared to the rest of the league.
Still, perception has become part of the problem. The substation, operated by Silicon Valley Power and expanded when Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014, has become an easy focal point whenever injuries pile up.