Brutal Broncos season-ending injury has 49ers conspiracy theory back on agenda

As the San Francisco 49ers do their best to refute ‘the substation jinx’ there is little they can do to stop the theories running wild.

The Niners have dealt with more injuries than most over the last couple of seasons, and are already reeling from the news that Ricky Pearsall could miss much of the 2026 season.

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Last season, George Kittle tore his Achilles, Nick Bosa tore his ACL and Fred Warner broke his ankle, while quarterback Brock Purdy and receivers Juan Jennings and Pearsall were also sidelined.

Even first round pick Mykel Williams went down with a torn ACL to leave the 49ers seeking answers for an injury list that left almost $100million on their reserve list in 2025, per OvertheCap.

Much has been made of the location of an electrical substation next to the team’s training facility in Santa Clara.

The conspiracy theories have given way to an X account (formerly Twitter) simply known as @SCSubstation, and the comedian has assumed the persona of the station, to quote tweet images and video from Niners training.

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While those theories of heightened concerns were dismissed by general manager John Lynch at the NFL owners’ meetings in March – Pearsall’s latest injury has kept the viral debate ranging.

And this week, after joint practice with the Denver Broncos, the talk has gathered pace again – only this time it has struck down the opponents.

The Broncos were in California as the teams up their intensity levels, but linebacker Matt Henningsen went down with a torn Achilles – the same injury that struck down 49ers star tight end George Kittle last year.

The irony also being it happened one year after Henningsen suffered the same injury to his other Achilles, a brutal blow for the Broncos.

It’s terrible luck for a Broncos team hoping to build on last season’s run to the AFC title game, and easing quarterback Bo Nix back to full fitness as well.

What is the 49ers substation ‘jinx’

After commissioning an investigation from ‘a scientist with over 45 years of experience studying electromagnetic fields and their effects,’ San Francisco are more than comfortable with their facility

“It basically was a big nothing burger,” Lynch said in March.

“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.

“That was important to us, not just to turn a blind eye, but to look into it because it’s our players’ wellness. It’s not only our players’ wellness, it’s coaches, it’s staff, all that. And it’s encouraging.”

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At the end of last season, the Niners defied their injury problems to finish 12-5 and sneak into the playoffs with the Rams and Seahawks from the NFC West.

A wild card win took them to a Divisional showdown with the eventual champion Seahawks as injuries eventually took their toll and they were beaten 41-6 in the Pacific North West.

Lynch also addressed the concerns in his end of season media availability insisting they were doing all they could to find out just why they seen to be so heavily hit.

“We’re always looking into trends, data, everything we do,” Lynch said in January after the team missed the playoffs.

“Our health and performance of our players is at the utmost priority each and every year.”

That gave way to the scientist visit, and with the conspiracy theories refuse to die down, the first week of training camp have once again underlined the brutal reality of the NFL.