When the NFL season comes to an end, players take a break to relax and unwind before getting ready for organized team activities (OTAs), mandatory minicamp, and training camp. During downtime, teams will usually warn players to not put themselves at risk. As in, don’t do anything that could result in an injury.
For San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, he revealed that he gave his team quite the scare over a year ago.
49ers fans are well aware that Kittle is a gigantic professional wrestling fan. Wrestling fanatics are also aware of Kittle, considering he can be spotted sitting at ringside at some events. Kittle has become a frequent attendee for WWE’s WrestleMania events. Back in 2023, Kittle got physically involved in the show.
At WrestleMania 39, former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee had an impromptu match with The Miz. During the match, The Miz shoved Kittle, who was cheering on McAfee at ringside. When The Miz wasn’t paying attention, Kittle hopped the barricade and gave the WrestleMania host a clothesline. After McAfee picked up the win, Kittle joined him in the ring to celebrate.
While speaking with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Kittle revealed that he got a text message from 49ers general manager John Lynch shortly afterward. The message read, “Hope you had fun. Don’t do that again.”
The last thing you want to see is your star get injured away from the football field.
Kittle did say that he never informed the 49ers that he would be getting involved in the WWE event, let alone dish out a clothesline on a professional wrestler. Imagine the shock Lynch must have received when seeing a clip of Kittle getting physical in WWE. Kittle told Raimondi that his logic was, “Just don’t get hurt, and we won’t have any problems with anything.”
The good news is Kittle played the entire 2023 season for the 49ers, although he did have to undergo core muscle surgery after the campaign. Even so, having Kittle on the field for the majority of the season played a pivotal role in the team making it to Super Bowl 58.
In 16 regular season games, Kittle recorded 65 receptions for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns on 90 targets. In San Francisco’s three playoff games, Kittle caught 8-of-13 targets for 112 yards and one touchdown.
The 49ers enter this season with high expectations once again, after falling just short of winning Super Bowl 58. But as long as Kittle is under contract with the 49ers, don’t expect the tight end to get physically involved in WWE.