San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle recently joined the New Heights podcast with brothers Jason and Travis Kelce, where he was asked to share his unforgettable "welcome to the NFL" moment.
Kittle didn't disappoint, recounting a hilarious story from his rookie season involving former 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley.
Back then, during organized team activities (OTAs), the 49ers' equipment staff played in a Thursday night softball league. As a rookie with a relatively light schedule, Kittle decided to tag along with several teammates, including Staley.
At that point, Kittle barely knew the veteran offensive tackle and was simply trying not to make a bad impression.
After the game, the players and equipment staff headed to a local bar to sing Karaoke, where Staley had built a reputation as a star performer.
"He can sing," Kittle shared. "He's just a performer. He gets the whole crowd into it. He knows what he's doing."
Kittle's true "welcome to the NFL" moment, however, came when he stepped into the restroom.
"It's one of those older, college bar vibes," Kittle said. "So, the bathroom, it's exactly what you think it looks like—like a rusty door that doesn't really close, all that stuff. So, I'm peeing in the toilet in the stall, and there's another rookie in there, in the other stall, and I just hear the door gets kicked open. And Joe Staley just goes, 'One of you guys got to move! I got to go!'"
The unexpected entrance immediately put the rookie on edge.
"He literally just takes the door off into my stall, and he goes, 'Kittle, get out or move over,'" Kittle continued. "And I said, 'I'll move over, Mr. Joe Staley.' And so that was my—I was like, 'Oh, I think he likes me.'"
Looking back, Kittle couldn't help but laugh at how intimidated he felt.
"I was terrified," Kittle added. "That was like my second week on the Niners."
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