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The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have trekked to Australia for this week’s NFL season opener in Melbourne. The flight time from California to Victoria is nearly the same for both teams – roughly 16 hours – but their journeys to the start of the season couldn’t be more different.
It’s been smooth sailing for the Rams, with their collection of playmakers growing by the day. It’s a very different story for the 49ers: facing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, not to mention the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, at least twice this season is the least of their problems. Their offseason has been more than lightly turbulent: it’s been batshit crazy.
The history of NFL scandals is Mariana Trench deep, and every season a unique calamity pops up. Meet Daejon Love, 49ers wide receiver, wealthy investor and a Casanova on the prowl. At least that’s what the 26 women Love allegedly defrauded out of $1.3m are said to have believed. Love, who it turns out is decidedly not a San Francisco 49er, was arrested last month by the FBI and has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. It’s unclear what is more bonkers: Love’s apparent audacity or the fact that none of the women he is said to have defrauded appear to have googled their new “NFL player” boyfriend.
The 49ers organization is free of blame in the Love fiasco. But some of the dirt around the story will still rub off on them. The team will no doubt still be treated to “Sign Love” banners and memes every time one of their wideouts drops a catch.
At least the 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, was wearing his seatbelt in a July car crash in which he suffered injuries including a serious concussion and a broken nose, hand and ribs. Shanahan admitted he was at fault: he says he took his eyes off the road when he was searching for his dropped phone. The weirdness stemmed from 49ers brass failing to disclose the injuries Shanahan had suffered and details of the crash for 11 days after it happened. Shanahan has been as clean as a whistle since he became 49ers head coach in 2017. The organization’s initial silence, knowing that Shanahan would need a slow return to training camp, made the situation appear more nefarious than it actually was.
There was no way to hide 49ers owner Jed York’s mugshot a few weeks later though. York was arrested after he used a website to secure the services of a sex worker for $140 at an Ohio trailer park. That woman turned out to be an undercover cop. York, whose family is worth $8.5bn, was fined $1,150, spent a night in jail and now faces an investigation by the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy. Of course, York is among the bosses of those running the investigation, so don’t expect him to get more than a slap on the wrist. As with the Love situation, the 49ers have landed unwelcome publicity, although this time the team’s owner is to blame. As if the 49ers wanted more attention over York’s arrest, Pro Football Hall of Famer and relationship expert Michael Irvin piped up in the owner’s defense.
“Everybody’s paying for it. So, what are we doing? Why we gotta embarrass this man for $140?” Irvin said during a Twitch livestream. “People think: ‘You’re a billionaire. Why didn’t you go to high-end places?’ The high-end places get you in trouble all the time.”
Until recently, the 49ers had evaded this level of bizarre in the Shanahan-John Lynch era. In the last few years, the 49ers have been a steady franchise whose chances of success usually end up stymied by a series of injuries to their best players.
Sure, last year the team had to hire an expert to debunk the theory that an electrical substation near the 49ers practice facility played a role in a buffet of injuries, including those to All-Pros Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and George Kittle. So far this season, wideout Ricky Pearsall’s 2026 campaign is already over after he reaggravated a PCL injury, while rotational defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu fractured his foot at practice in Melbourne. Those are big losses for San Francisco but most of their superstars are healthy for now.
So, maybe, the script has flipped. The 49ers could be chaotic off the field but largely steady and healthy on it. If it means they win their first Super Bowl since the 1994 season, it’s a narrative their fans will take.
