San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle, appearing in Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs this upcoming weekend, admitted to playing with a torn labrum for the past two seasons on Monday.

The two-time Pro Bowl tight end told a podcast ahead of the Super Bowl in Miami, Florida, that he injured his shoulder in a preseason game in 2018, and instead of going under the knife, George Kittle, 26, opted not to get surgery, wearing a sleeve to alleviate the pain while playing.

Via Dalton Johnson in NBC Sports Bay Area:

“So I dislocated my shoulder last year,” Kittle said, “and my labrum is completely torn. So I don’t get surgery on it — [The protective sleeve] basically helps me, so it doesn’t hurt all the time.”

George Kittle would finish the 2018 season, his second in the professional ranks after San Francisco selected him out of Iowa in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, with a record-setting 1,377 receiving yards—the most in a single season in league history for a tight end.

After his standout season with the 49ers in 2018, this year Kittle's accomplishments were slightly less pronounced, but his presence for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense was still important for the No. 1 team in the NFC. Kittle finished the 2019 regular season with 1,053 yards, scoring five touchdowns in fourteen games.

Kittle has yet to score in San Francisco's 2019-20 postseason run (two games), having caught four passes for 35 yards thus far.

Kittle's story is far from over, as the Midwest native continues to write his NFL career, possibly with a Super Bowl ring over the horizon.

—

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
UConn basketball, Huskies, Dan Hurley, 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, Dan Hurley with UConn basketball arena in the background

Scotty White ·

Brock Purdy, 49ers, 49ers quarterback, Super Bowl, Purdy 49ers

Jackson Stone ·

San Francisco 49ers stars Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk looking at a large sack of money

Sonny Giuliano ·

Follow NFL on ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us. Get more on George Kittle and the 49ers.

All of our NFL content can be found on the NFL section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our fantasy football content, click here.

Follow NFL games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NFL section. George Kittle and the 49ers face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, Feb. 2.