The San Francisco 49ers found a way to finish 12-5 last season despite a rash of injuries that bordered on the unfair. The 49ers’ top six highest-paid players combined to miss 64 games, including playoffs, while San Francisco also registered the most overall games missed due to injury by any playoff team. Defensive stars Nick Bosa (torn ACL), Fred Warner (ankle) and first-round pick Mykel Williams (torn ACL) missed extensive time, and the offensive side of the ball wasn’t spared either. Quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings missed games, then star tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoff loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 49ers’ injury issues in 2025 allowed for the rise of an interesting theory that indicated where the team practiced had more to do with the problem than just plain old bad luck. The 49ers’ practice facility is located right next to an electrical substation, so was it possible that constant exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic waves was causing players to have more soft-tissue injuries?
Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne even leaned into the theory in January, joking the “power plant” was the reason the 49ers couldn’t stay healthy. All of this outside noise forced 49ers general manager John Lynch to look into the issue, saying that the health of their players is “of the utmost priority.”
On Sunday, Lynch revealed that the 49ers hired an independent expert to investigate the substation and if it presented any concerns. After reviewing the results of the investigation, Lynch called them a “nothing burger,” and that whatever levels the expert looked at did not present a concern, per The Athletic. Furthermore, Lynch also said that none of the free agents that signed with the 49ers this offseason asked about the substation theory. It was never an issue.
Prior to the 49ers’ own investigation, the substation theory was rejected by several scientists and medical professionals, according to ESPN. But football fans struggled to explain why the 49ers were forced to place 20 players on reserve lists in 2025. It appears San Francisco’s brass is prepared to put the viral conspiracy theories to bed, but there’s no denying that the 49ers’ strength and conditioning staff will be under pressure to improve in 2026.