NFL medical official addresses viral conspiracy theory linking 49ers injuries to electrical substation

The NFL has publicly responded to the growing theory that an electrical substation near the San Francisco 49ers' practice facility is contributing to the team's recent spike in injuries. And while the league stopped short of issuing an absolute dismissal, its medical leadership made clear there is no scientific evidence supporting the claim.

The topic, which originated on social media and spread rapidly following another injury-heavy season for the 49ers, was raised Friday during an NFL player health and safety media briefing. There, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills addressed the speculation directly.

"I'm not familiar with anything in the sports medicine literature that supports those associations," Sills said. "But I would also tell you that injury causation is really complex. If you think about biology and medicine, you don't have usually one single factor that drives biological systems."

Sills emphasized that football injuries are influenced by multiple overlapping factors -- including training methods, player history, equipment, exposure levels and style of play -- rather than any single environmental cause.

"So we try to be transparent, but we try to be comprehensive, and I would just caution again against drawing any conclusions based on publicly-available data sources," Sills said. "One of the things that's been said is that that club has led the league in non-direct contact lower extremity injuries. That's simply not true. That's false. So I think we have obviously a lot of work to do on all these injuries and we'll consider any and all mechanisms, but that's sort of the broader picture on that particular question."

49ers to investigate viral substation conspiracy theory as team searches for answers to alarming injury rate

Bryan DeArdo

The theory centers on the proximity of the 49ers' training facility to an electrical substation operated by Silicon Valley Power near Levi's Stadium. The idea gained mainstream attention after a viral post claimed electromagnetic field exposure could be linked to non-contact lower-body injuries, a claim that has been widely challenged by scientists and medical professionals.

Despite the lack of scientific support, the 49ers are not ignoring the conversation.

General manager John Lynch confirmed last week the organization will review the theory as part of a broader offseason evaluation of player health, training systems and injury mitigation strategies. The substation expanded in 2014 alongside the opening of Levi's Stadium, but the team has practiced at the same site since 1988 -- a detail many experts cite as evidence against any recent environmental link.

Still, the theory has circulated within the locker room.

"It's definitely been a talking point for years," 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said in an interview with Front Office Sports. "It's one of those things that it's just so hard to say because the science is not clear behind it. And I'm very much a science-driven person. And I want to see the numbers and the statistics."

The 49ers endured major injuries in 2025 to several cornerstone players, including Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams, continuing a trend that has plagued the franchise in recent years. Despite finishing 12-5 in one of the NFL's toughest divisions, health -- not talent -- remains the team's biggest obstacle to sustained postseason success.