Vernon Davis pushes back on theory blaming 49ers injuries on nearby power station

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Vernon Davis pushes back on theory blaming 49ers injuries on nearby power station

Olamilekan Ajayi · Gridiron Heroics

Fri, Sep 11, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis dismissed the substation theory in a video posted on Thursday by Yahoo Sports, on the day San Francisco opened its season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. The theory holds that low-frequency electromagnetic fields from Silicon Valley Power's Mission Substation, next to the team's Santa Clara headquarters and Levi's Stadium, weaken players' tendons and soft tissue.

It took off in January through a social media thread by Peter Cowan. The timing fit a rough year for the roster, with Nick Bosa tearing an ACL in Week 3, Fred Warner breaking his ankle in Week 6 and George Kittle tearing his Achilles tendon in a playoff win at Philadelphia .

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers former tight end Vernon Davis speaks during the 49ers hall of fame ceremony during halftime against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

"I played for the San Francisco 49ers for 10 years and we didn't have those issues … I'm not buying it," Davis said.

The 49ers have practiced on the same Santa Clara grounds since the late 1980s, and the substation was already there when the facility opened, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows on "The Rich Eisen Show." The team played home games at Candlestick Park until 2014, but the practice fields stayed put. Davis, the No. 6 overall pick in 2006, worked beside that substation every season until San Francisco traded him to Denver in 2015, which gives his skepticism more weight.

If the fields next door were breaking down tendons, the rosters Davis played on spent a decade exposed to them.

Did anything change near the practice fields in Davis' final seasons

Voltage at the substation went up when Levi's Stadium was built, according to Barrows, and the stadium opened in 2014. That places only the last season and a half of Davis' tenure on the far side of the upgrade, and it is the strongest point left for anyone still defending the theory.

Sep 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) makes a catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-18. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The questions reached the locker room, where Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk , along with their partners, asked the team about the risks. General manager John Lynch said in March that the 49ers answered by paying for an independent review by a scientist with more than 45 years of experience studying electromagnetic fields.

"It basically was a big nothing burger," Lynch said. "We're in a safe place of work. … It's a normal place of work. It's a normal gym. We are safe, we're healthy, and we feel really good about that."

Lynch has also said that none of the free agents the 49ers spoke with this offseason brought up the substation.

San Francisco still opened this season with 11 players on injured reserve, a group that includes receiver Ricky Pearsall after season-ending knee surgery.

Did anything change near the practice fields in Davis' final seasons

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