The San Francisco 49ers plan to turn over every stone in their investigation into the underlying causes of the team’s recurring injury problems that have spanned more than a decade.
As part of the effort, general manager John Lynch announced Wednesday that the 49ers will even look into a viral conspiracy theory suggesting the electrical substation near the training facility and Levi’s Stadium could be contributing to the team’s injury woes.
“Because it deals with, allegedly, the health and safety of our players, I think you have to look into everything,” Lynch said, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “We’ve been reaching out to anyone and everyone to see, does a study exist other than a guy sticking an apparatus underneath the fence and coming up with a number that I have no idea what that means? That’s what we know exists. We’ve heard that debunked.”
The online theory claims the Niners’ long history of injuries, dating back over a decade, can be partially linked to excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF).
Although many scientists and medical professionals have dismissed the theory, Lynch emphasized that the organization wouldn’t “turn a blind eye” to any possibility that could affect player health and safety.
The 49ers’ training facility has been located in Santa Clara, California, since the late 1980s, with the substation built a few years later. The station was expanded in 2014, in conjunction with the opening of Levi’s Stadium.
Lynch added that the Niners will conduct a detailed assessment of their injury prevention and management strategies, looking well beyond the conspiracy theory to address all potential factors contributing to the issue.
“We’ll look at everything, and we’ll examine everything,” Lynch said.
San Francisco lost several key contributors to season-ending injuries this past campaign. Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle were among 20 players the 49ers placed on a reserve list. Quarterback Brock Purdy missed several games due to turf toe, while Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were sidelined for multiple weeks.
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