The conspiracy about the San Francisco 49ers’ slew of injuries being connected to the stadium’s proximity to an electrical substation has been debunked a dozen times over. But 49ers general manager John Lynch held true to his promise to look into it anyway, and confirmed that it was untrue.
While speaking to reporters on Sunday ahead of NFL spring owners meetings, Lynch said that the team had hired a scientist to investigate the debunked theory, and that he determined that the team’s environment was completely “safe.”
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“We did hire an independent scientist,” Lynch said, via Cam Inman. “He basically it was a big nothing burger. We’re safe. We’re in a safe place of work. The levels are 400 times less than an unsafe zone.”
Lynch also told reporters that the 49ers are in the process of upgrading its rehabilitation and recovery facilities, spending $9 million on improvements, via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The GM added that San Francisco is hiring three more staff members who will concentrate on physical therapy to improve injury outcomes for the players.
The discredited theory posited that the proximity between Levi’s Stadium, where the 49ers have played since 2014, and an electrical substation have increased the team’s injuries through exposure to the substation’s electromagnetic force. The NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, called the theory “simply not true” in January.
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Notably, the substation also sits next to the San Francisco practice facility, which the 49ers have used since 1988. The team has won three Super Bowls since moving into that facility, without electromagnetic issues.
As the theory went viral in January, Lynch said that the team would be taking a look at the issue despite the baseless nature of the claims.
“Because it deals with, allegedly, the health and safety of our players, I think you have to look into everything,” Lynch said. “We’ve heard that debunked. So yes, we will look into it. We have. The health and safety of our players is of the utmost priority. … I know that a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened. We aren’t gonna turn a blind eye. We look into everything.”
