San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle made a cameo at WrestleMania 39 last year, joining the action between NFL punter-turned-media personality Pat McAfee and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.
George Kittle with the run-in to help Pat McAfee win his WrestleMania matchpic.twitter.com/H95VB05Dga
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 2, 2023
Kittle said he later received a text from his boss, general manager John Lynch, after the surprise appearance, which he had not informed his team about. It read, "Hope you had fun. Don't do that again."
Kittle planned to be part of the show and figured as long as he didn't get hurt, there wouldn't be a problem. However, the 49ers, like all NFL teams, prefer their players to avoid unnecessary risks.
Players have contract clauses that could void guarantees if they get injured away from the team while engaging in risky activities. According to a deep dive by ESPN's Marc Raimondi, these activities include hang gliding, rock climbing, and skiing. The Kansas City Chiefs even include playing basketball among the activities that could cost players contract money.
Kittle and his teammates are on a break following the 49ers' offseason program. He is involved in Tight End University this week. As for the rest of his time off, who knows what he and the other players might have planned. The team wants to ensure they are healthy and ready to go when training camp kicks off on July 23.
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The NFL season is challenging enough. Kittle recently revealed that, in addition to a core muscle injury for which he underwent surgery this offseason, he finished the season with an AC joint sprain, a chipped bone in his shoulder, a torn MCL in his big toe, and a fractured rib.
San Francisco is the favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana. An unforeseen and unnecessary injury could jeopardize those hopes.