49ers’ George Kittle reveals the ‘wake-up call’ that fuels his All-Pro career (paywall)
“During surgery, it was discovered that Kittle’s right adductor, a group of muscles that span from the pelvic bone to the inner thigh and knee, was completely detached, which wasn’t caught on an MRI during the season.
“The guy who did my surgery in Philadelphia described it like a baseball and stitching around my core was about 75% torn,” Kittle said. “So I was basically playing without a core. And then he found that my adductor was detached. So figuring out ways to play through that was exhilarating.