Who knew that an electric substation would play such a big role in the narrative of the 2025 San Francisco 49ers season? The viral conspiracy theory to explain why the Niners have so many injuries has gained a surprising amount of traction, but linebacker Fred Warner isn't having it.
The All-Pro whose career is on a Hall of Fame trajectory appeared on the St. Brown Podcast and shared his thoughts on the substation, saying, "I think it’s false. I’ll be the first to tell you because I train year-round at our facility. I’m not gonna sit here and say a substation was the reason why I got my ankle broke in half."
Fred Warner on the high number of injuries possibly being tied to the substation next to Levi’s Stadium:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 28, 2026
“I think it’s false. I’ll be the first to tell you because I train year-round at our facility. I’m not gonna sit here and say a substitution was the reason why I got my ankle… pic.twitter.com/k9U46UOM6h
Warner makes a good point that he has been remarkably durable in his pro career, and prior to his season-ending ankle injury, he had only missed one game in his entire career.
It's hard to see how an electric substation would lead to Warner breaking his ankle on the opposite end of the country in Tampa Bay, but we live in a world where truth and fact seemingly don't matter very much, so people will run with these theories because no one will stop them.
Warner even had some fun with it, saying he thinks the substation may have given him superpowers, which may be the more plausible argument given the fantastic career he has had up to this point.
He gave some actual reasons why San Francisco may suffer so many injuries on a yearly basis like the fact it has an older roster, they train harder than a lot of other teams as they prepare, while also acknowledging that football is an inherently violent game so injuries are bound to happen.
Thankfully, Warner's rehab from his ankle injury went really well, and he was nearly able to play in the playoff game versus the Seattle Seahawks and has said that he would have played in the NFC Championship game if the Niners had made it that far.
But at least he now gets a full offseason to rest and recuperate so he can come back stronger than ever next season. Even when he was injured Warner showed just how much he means to the Niners as a leader and a captain, and the team is going to need that badly especially since defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is now gone.
The substation talk is probably not going away anytime soon with some fans using it as a punchline, while others earnestly believe it is the cause of the team's injury woes.
At least Warner seems to acknowledge that is is a baseless theory with no fact behind it.