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Afternoon Edition

January 15, 2026

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A claim tying the 49ers’ injury history to a power substation near their practice facilities and stadium continues to spread fast across social media—but medical experts say the science behind it simply isn’t there.

— Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

‘No Firmly Established Evidence’ for Viral 49ers Injury Theory

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The 49ers will take the field Saturday night against the Seahawks without star tight end George Kittle, who went down with an Achilles tear in the second quarter of the team’s playoff win over the Eagles on Sunday.

In the aftermath of his injury, a dizzying theory caught fire on social media.

A user named Peter Cowan, who identifies as “board-certified,” had posted on X/Twitter [[link removed]] earlier in the week a map of the Niners’ stadium and practice facility located next to an electrical substation. “Low-frequency electromagnetic fields can degrade collagen, weaken tendons, and cause soft-tissue damage at levels regulators call ‘safe,’” Cowan wrote.

Cowan, who is not a doctor, went on in a series of posts and Substack articles to link the 49ers’ injuries in the past decade to the proximity of the substation. Star players including Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, and Fred Warner have all struggled with injuries, many of them major tendon and ligament tears.

The post picked up traction in the days before the game, but Kittle’s injury was gasoline on the fire. Niners wide receiver Kendrick Bourne joked “that power plant” [[link removed]] is the source of the team’s injuries. Former NFL players promoted the theory on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “We don’t know enough about it, but we know it’s 100% fact,” said cohost Will Compton [[link removed]]. Other former NFLers like Taybor Pepper [[link removed]] and Kurt Benkert [[link removed]] also posted about the theory online. (Pepper was the 49ers’ long snapper from 2020 to 2024, and Benkert was briefly on the practice squad in 2022.) Cowan’s original post has around 22 million views on X.

Though the Kyle Shanahan–era 49ers have consistently been among the most injured teams in the NFL, there are two major problems with the substation theory.

First, 49ers players have been exposed to the substation for far longer than the decade since the team moved to Levi’s Stadium. The plant has been operating since 1986 [[link removed]]. The 49ers opened a new practice facility next door in 1988 [[link removed]], and they won three Super Bowls in the next seven years. The team moved into Levi’s Stadium in 2014, something Cowan presents as an important development when in fact the team had been practicing near the plant for nearly 40 years. (Cowan did not immediately respond to an email from Front Office Sports asking whether the fact that the Niners had been exposed to the supposedly harmful radiation for decades, including when they were winning Super Bowls, had any impact on his theory.)

Second, according to a bevy of medical experts, the research doesn’t back it up.

Cowan’s theory targets extremely low-frequency radiation, or ELF, the kind produced by power lines and electrical equipment operating at frequencies around 60 hertz. He also suggests the guidelines for acceptable exposure are outdated [[link removed]].

Jerrold Bushberg, a radiology professor at UC Davis who chairs the board of directors for the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, tells FOS that “there is no firmly established evidence” that these types of low-level exposures have any biological impacts on humans.

“These so-called ‘mechanisms’ have not been established, and many of the experiments are contradictory, and many of the experiments have exposures that either don’t relate specifically to 50-, 60-hertz magnetic fields, or are at much, much higher levels than what would be experienced at a practice level,” Bushberg, a 49ers fan himself, says of the science behind the injury theory.

The NFL is declining to comment on the matter. A spokesperson for the 49ers did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

For more on the viral injury theory and what experts say, read Margaret Fleming’s story here [[link removed]].

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Bears’ Indiana Search Shifts Tone in Illinois Over Stadium Funding [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Bears’ look into neighboring Indiana for potential stadium sites could be working, as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker now has a rather different vibe regarding the long-troubled venue effort.

For years, Pritzker has been a strident critic of the NFL’s team push for public money for the team’s long-sought-after stadium and mixed-use development, set to cost more than $5 billion. Just weeks after the Bears publicly disclosed an expansion of its search into Northwest Indiana [[link removed]], Pritzker is now conveying open support to aid the team with infrastructure needs toward an Illinois-based stadium.

“This is a private business. We help with private businesses all the time in the state, and I want to help if it’s with infrastructure, as we do with other private businesses. That’s absolutely a way we could do that,” Pritzker said. “But as I’ve said, the Bears have heard this, we’re not going to build a stadium for the Chicago Bears.”

Notably, it’s now just infrastructure help that the Bears are seeking, as they previously amended their push for public assistance from roughly half of the stadium costs to a reduced ask of $855 million in infrastructure support [[link removed]]. Even that, however, had run into political obstacles, prompting the pursuit in Indiana. The team is also looking for state help to allow it to negotiate its property taxes with local governments.

“I want what’s best for the taxpayers in the end,” Pritzker said. “We’re going to make sure we do the best that we can for the Bears, but most of all, that we’re not wasting taxpayer money.”

Pritzker’s latest comments also closely follow a visit by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell [[link removed]], along with team officials, to stadium sites in both Illinois and Indiana—including a 326-acre parcel of team-owned land in Arlington Heights, Ill., previously seen as the primary option [[link removed]].

“One thing I’m optimistic about in this regard is some of the infrastructure needs the Bears have identified are actually needs of the area around Arlington Heights,” Pritzker said.

The Bears, meanwhile, have also sent a survey to season-ticket holders, asking them about a variety of stadium-related matters, including their willingness to travel to Indiana for games.

Team Matters

The ongoing stadium dialogue is happening as the Bears have advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs, continuing a breakthrough season [[link removed]] and marking the team’s best campaign since 2010.

Chicago will be playing at home Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC against the Rams, with that broadcast slot chosen by the league [[link removed]] to lean heavily in to the matchup involving the No. 2 and No. 3 U.S. media markets.

Ticket demand has been significant, with pricing on the resale market now beginning at more than $400 per seat. That figure is down slightly from earlier in the week, as Sunday’s high temperature in Chicago is now projected at just 18 degrees. With the nighttime setting, the game-time temperature is expected to fall into the single digits.

“We always adjust and adapt,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of the forthcoming weather conditions. “They have to be able to play in those same elements. They obviously have had a little bit more experience, but we’re not going to allow that to be an excuse.”

EXCLUSIVE

NFL, PGA Tour Won’t Let Players Endorse Prediction Markets

Even as prediction markets gain traction across sports, the NFL and PGA Tour have drawn a hard line against player endorsements, Front Office Sports has learned. For more on Ben Horney’s exclusive, read here [[link removed]].

Commanders Look Back to RFK Roots in New $3.8B Stadium Design [[link removed]]

Washington Commanders/HKS

The Commanders are going back to the future for their forthcoming $3.8 billion stadium and mixed-use development at the site of its former home, RFK Stadium.

The NFL team released its updated vision for the project, four months after securing local legislative approval for a funding package [[link removed]] that will provide about $1.1 billion in public money. More than just a rendering release, though, the latest graphics detail an effort to tap heavily into the team’s past while also building a next-generation domed venue.

Made for D.C.

The new, HKS-designed plan features a sloped exterior and roof that resembles the iconic, Pringles-like shape of RFK Stadium, the team’s home from 1961 to 1996. The updated design also bears some similarity to the new Highmark Stadium [[link removed]], the forthcoming venue for the Bills that will open later this year. The colonnade that will ring the exterior of the new Commanders stadium also links to the many monuments in the District of Columbia. The main entryways will be on the same axis as the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol, aligning fully with the city master plan laid out in 1791 by French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant.

The roof will be translucent to mimic the feel of an open-air stadium, but the domed element will enable Washington to bid for major events such as the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, and Final Four.

HKS has also designed many other newer NFL facilities, including SoFi Stadium in California, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, and AT&T Stadium in Texas.

Commanders president Mark Clouse called the latest design “a defining milestone in the next phase of the development process.”

The stadium, set to open in 2030, will be surrounded by a large-scale development with housing, green space, recreational elements, retail, and office space.

RFK Stadium is now well along in the demolition process to make way for the new venue. The Commanders are part of an accelerating wave of stadium efforts around the NFL, one that includes the forthcoming venues for the Bills and Titans, opening in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and ones planned for the Browns [[link removed]], Broncos [[link removed]], Chiefs [[link removed]], and potentially, the Bears [[link removed]]. Others, such as the Eagles [[link removed]], are considering new venues as well.

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Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries power your most critical devices like smart home devices, outdoor surveillance systems, digital cameras, and handheld games.

An Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA battery [[link removed]] can hold power up to 25 years in storage. Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries are 100% Leak Proof (based on standard use).

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STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Rangers ⬇ The Senators came into Madison Square Garden and dominated, winning 8–4 over the Rangers. The loss was New York’s fifth straight, with the team being outscored 30–12 during that stretch. The Blueshirts sit in last place in the Eastern Conference and are trending toward being sellers at the trade deadline.

Mark Stone ⬆ The Golden Knights right winger extended his point streak to nine games, scoring a game-winner in overtime to help the team win over the Kings. The goal was his 16th on the season, putting him three away from tying his season total from last year.

Jonathan Kuminga ⬆⬇ The Warriors forward has demanded a trade [[link removed]] away from the team on the first day he was eligible to do so. Kuminga signed a two-year, $46.8 million deal in September, but he has been in and out of Steve Kerr’s rotation, last appearing in a game on Dec. 18.

MLB international signing period ⬆ Thursday marked the first day that teams could officially sign eligible international prospects. The Giants made the biggest splash, giving shortstop Luis Hernandez from Venezuela a $5 million signing bonus. Another notable signing was shortstop Wandy Asigen, who signed with the Mets for $3.9 million. Asigen previously agreed to a deal with the Yankees before backing out of the deal in December.

Editors’ Picks MLB Teams Seek Stability As Main Street Sports Looks to Rework Deals [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The clubs are seeking more certainty on the company’s future. 26 Charged in NCAA, International Basketball Fixing Scheme [[link removed]]by Katie Krzaczek [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]], and Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The unsealed indictment names players, trainers, and “high-stakes gamblers.” Alex Morgan Leads Investor Group for Women’s Indoor Golf League [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The former USWNT soccer star is expanding her sports portfolio. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you list the five NFL teams with the longest active playoff droughts (heading into this season)?

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