Every NFL player has their own way of gearing up mentally and physically before a game. For some, it’s sticking to a certain meal, like Jake Elliott, who swears by pregame pizza and cheesecake, or Emmanuel Sanders, who gets in the zone by playing Madden against his next opponent. Others, meanwhile, lean on more emotional habits, like George Kittle, who reads a handwritten letter from his father before stepping onto the field each time.
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But what Kittle does next raises plenty of eyebrows. The San Francisco 49ers star tight end has one of the most intense and bizarre pregame rituals in the league: he purposely throws up after warmups and then headbutts a wall before running out of the tunnel.
Back in 2020, in his appearance on Pardon My Take, Kittle broke down the sequence himself: “As soon as we come back in from warm-ups, I go puke. 100 percent. Every game. It does make me feel better. I’m a step faster now. That’s my positive mindset.”
But the real shocker comes moments later.
“Then as soon as we’re walking out, I put my helmet on and I headbutt a wall almost as hard as I can,” George Kittle added. “I learned that the first hit always hurts the most. So I get it out of the way, and then there’s no first hit.”
INSANE
San Francisco #49ers star tight end George Kittle HEAD BUTTS A WALL before heading onto the field and throws up before most games he plays in.
George Kittle is something. pic.twitter.com/GY3zb5A5ip
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 18, 2025
That said, vomiting before games isn’t entirely unheard of. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, for instance, has made headlines for the same ritual, saying he throws up, listens to music, and rinses with mouthwash before every game. But the self-inflicted head trauma, even with a helmet on, has taken things to another level in the eyes of many fans and sports health professionals alike.
It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. And in a league that’s constantly under scrutiny for its handling of concussions and head injuries, George Kittle’s headbutt routine is drawing mixed reactions.
“Bro’s giving himself CTE,” observed a fan. “CTE guaranteed,” added another. However, if not for CTE, a concussion seemed to be a bare minimum guaranteed byproduct of this ritual for some. “Bro out there playing with a concussion,” argued a user.
While discussing concussions, naturally, fans couldn’t stop themselves from drawing parallels between George Kittle and Tua Tagovailoa. “Bro really giving himself the Tua special,” chimed in a fan.
No one can question Kittle’s toughness—or his talent. Kittle holds the second-highest single-season receiving yards total (1,377 yards), which he achieved in 2018. But this particular ritual seems to have crossed the line from being motivational and into the territory of concern.
Ultimately, each player has their own way of preparing before the kickoff. But when that method involves physical harm before the game even starts, some fans might wonder, at what cost?
