The San Francisco 49ers’ 2025 NFL season unraveled in frustrating fashion. Although they still made it to the Divisional Round, injuries defined their year from start to finish.
And fans and experts have been pointing to the electrical substation near the team’s facility as a possible factor. However, the 49ers’ Fred Warner gave his take on the theory of electromagnetic waves affecting their players.
Fred Warner Laughs Off 49ers Substation Speculation
All-Pro linebacker Warner weighed in on the topic during a recent appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast” with the Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown, who briefly shared a locker room with him in San Francisco. Asked about the speculation, Warner addressed the chatter.
“There’s a lot of mixed reviews about that,” Warner said. “I think, at the end of the day, when you look at the actual data behind if that’s real or not, I think it’s false. And I’ll be the first to tell you, because I train year-round at our facility. I’m not going to sit here and say that a substation was the reason why I got my ankle broken in half. That was a freak. That was a fluke injury, right?”
Warner pointed out that durability has rarely been an issue for him over the years. “But before that, I had missed one game,” Warner added. “I had one game missed due to a fluke hammy that I had, where I stepped wrong. And I’ve been super healthy for seven-plus years.”
He also made light of the substation talk, joking that maybe it actually helped him rather than hurt him, saying, with a laugh, that too much exposure might turn someone into the Hulk.
A notable twist in the discussion came when neurosurgeon and longevity specialist Pleb Kruse shared on X (formerly Twitter) that 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey reached out to him about the topic during the 2024 offseason.
However, there is no scientific proof supporting this, and it remains speculation. The team has only said it reviews all possible factors when evaluating injuries, and not that the substation is a confirmed cause.
Injuries the 49ers Faced During the 2025 NFL Season
Injured / Out
- Nick Bosa (DE): Injured Reserve (ACL) on Sep 25, 2025
2. Jake Tonges (TE): Questionable (foot) on Jan 22, 2026
3. Brandon Aiyuk (WR): Out (knee) on Jan 22, 2026
4. George Kittle (TE): Injured Reserve (Achilles), Jan 20, 2026
5. Fred Warner (LB): Injured Reserve (ankle) on Jan 20, 2026
6. Mykel Williams (DE): Injured Reserve (knee) on Jan 20, 2026
7. Ji’Ayir Brown (S): Questionable on Jan 19, 2026
8. Jacob Cowing (WR): Injured Reserve (hamstring) on Jan 18, 2026
9. Tatum Bethune (LB): Injured Reserve (groin) on Jan 8, 2026
10. Kurtis Rourke (QB): Out (knee, NFI) on Dec 30, 2025
11. Nick Martin (LB): Injured Reserve (concussion) on Dec 21, 2025
11. Ben Bartch (G): Injured Reserve (foot) on Dec 9, 2025
Questionable
12. Ji’Ayir Brown (S): Jan 19, 2026
Despite multiple injuries, the 49ers remained competitive and gained valuable experience. With healthier personnel expected next year, the franchise is focused on bouncing back and making a strong push in the 2026 NFL season.
