The San Francisco 49ers have endured the kind of injury luck that feels less like a coincidence and more like a cosmic prank. Over the past two seasons, their roster has read like a medical chart: torn ligaments, ruptured tendons, prolonged absences. While most people have blamed the usual suspects, such as conditioning, turf, or sheer misfortune, a far stranger theory has taken root. It suggests the team’s woes might be tied not to football at all, but to the electrical substation humming beside Levi’s Stadium.
Former QB Fuels Speculation Around 49ers Injury Theory
On Saturday, the 49ers were dominated by the Seattle Seahawks 41-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs. A day later, former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert offered a personal observation that lent the rumor a measure of credibility: “For what it’s worth, the only time in my life I had plantar fasciitis is when I spent 80% of the day at Levi’s Stadium.”
For what it’s worth, the only time in my life I had plantar fasciitis is when I spent 80% of the day at Levi’s Stadium. https://t.co/Mlnl6Lghtl
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) January 18, 2026
He didn’t explain why or how. He simply left the comment hanging and let the internet do the rest. And speculate it did, because the 49ers’ recent injury list is difficult to ignore. George Kittle’s torn Achilles. Nick Bosa and Fred Warner’s season-ending injuries. Brock Purdy is sidelined for months. Brandon Aiyuk’s ACL tear. The string of setbacks has prompted some to look beyond football’s physical toll for possible explanations.
Peter Cowan was the first to float the electrical substation theory in a Substack post. His argument suggested that low-frequency electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, might subtly degrade collagen, putting elite athletes at higher risk for soft-tissue injuries. The facility he referenced was Silicon Valley Power’s Mission Substation, which sits directly next to both the stadium and the team’s outdoor practice field.
However, experts say substations emit nonionizing radiation, the same type of background energy people encounter daily from phones, TVs, and Wi-Fi, and there is no credible evidence it can weaken muscles, tendons, or ligaments. According to Sporting News, UC Davis professor Jerrold Bushberg said there is no firmly established evidence of soft-tissue damage from EMFs. Bristol Medical School’s Frank de Vocht was even more direct, calling the idea “nonsense.”
There is also a far less sensational fact: the 49ers have trained beside that same substation since 1988, long before Levi’s Stadium and long before the current wave of injuries.
