Super Bowl live updates: Seattle Seahawks stars say Super Bowl LX win is still sinking in

After bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a right knee injury limited him to four games in 2024, McCaffrey returned to his usual, versatile self in 2025. This is McCaffrey's first Comeback Player of the Year award after finishing second in 2022. He earned it by virtue of his 2,126 scrimmage yards (second in the NFL) and 17 total touchdowns (third). Perhaps more important, McCaffrey started all 19 games, including playoffs. In the regular season, he had a league-high 413 touches, 44 more than the next closest player and the highest total of his nine seasons in the league.

When it was over, McCaffrey called 2025 "one of the hardest years of my life" because of the offseason spent rehabbing from his knee injury and strengthening his Achilles to take on the rigors of another season. As injuries mounted around him, McCaffrey was the one constant in San Francisco's offense, playing a pivotal role in helping the 49ers go 12-5 and reach the NFC divisional round.

"I think this was one of the most impressive seasons by an individual player ever," coach Kyle Shanahan said of McCaffrey. "Just in terms of what a warrior and man he is week in, week out. ... He commits himself 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get his body ready to go out there and compete. I've never been around anything like that." -- Nick Wagoner

What's going on with the substation next to Levi's Stadium and is it causing injuries? We spoke with the NFL's chief medical officer about that very subject, as well has how the league keeps players safe year-round.

A local story we've covered here has now hit national headlines and it has been the talk of the town for many during Super Bowl week.

What's going on with the substation next to Levi's Stadium and is it causing injuries?

We spoke with the NFL's chief medical officer about that very subject, as well has how the league keeps players safe year-round.

There's no denying it, football is a violent game and injuries are often inevitable.

But the NFL is constantly searching for ways to keep its players healthy and safe.

"We'd like to create the safest possible environment for the game to occur. And we believe that work is never done," Dr. Allen Sills said.

Sills is the NFL's Chief Medical Officer. Thursday he gave us a behind the scenes tour of Levi's Stadium to show us how they're doing that work.

From proper protective equipment in the locker room, to technology on the field and dozens of highly trained medical personnel.

"We've got a lot of protocol and plans that are always the same at every game and they get practiced," Sills said.

The NFL's focus includes research of potential or emerging threats to players' health - such as the "electromagnetic field exposure" conspiracy theory at Levi's Stadium.

"I have to ask you, since you're here in the Bay area right next door to the now viral substation, what are your thoughts on EMF and injuries for players?" ABC7 Eyewitness News South Bay reporter Dustin Dorsey asked.

"Yeah, what I've said is, I am not aware of anything in the sports medicine literature that supports and associated with the injury," Dr. Sills said. "In fact, we use electrical stimulation to treat a lot of injuries as a rehab modality. With that being said, we're always open minded."

It's how the NFL says they saw the fewest concussions in a season last year, after years of brain injuries being a lesser-studied area.

Dr. Sills says the NFL has a complete set of data to look at associations and trends, including the rising concern of how EMF may be impacting the 49ers.

It's information compiled year-round to make informed medical decisions for the health and safety of players - including this weekend on Super Sunday.

Dr. Stills says the goal is simple: despite all the preparation and planning that goes into this - he hopes none of it is necessary and all players stay out of the infamous blue medical tent on Super Bowl gameday.

Before the big game is played on Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL is giving back to Bay Area schools.

Before the big game is played on Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL is giving back to Bay Area schools. A middle school in San Francisco's Portola neighborhood is just one beneficiary of the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program.

Volunteer partners from Lowes were showing the campus of Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School a little love, with a fresh landscape makeover.

"I was thrilled, we can use all the help we can get," said Principal Byron Gougoumis.

A pinch me moment for Principal Gougoumis, after all it's not everyday NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pays a visit, to award the school with a portion of an $8 million check, part of the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program.

"Having fields where kids can play and sports of for all is a great thing, we're proud to participate to make sure Super Bowls are successful for communities," said Goodell.

As part of this year's program, the NFL Foundation, the Bay Area Host Committee and the 49ers Foundation are partnering on a series of large-scale projects, providing underserved youth with access to safe spaces to stay active like new playing fields schools in Santa Clara and East Palo Alto.

Puerto Rican partially deaf performer Celimar Rivera Cosme, who will lead a "multilingual signing program" during Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday, is readying to make history and shed light on the Puerto Rican deaf community on one of music's biggest stages.

Rivera Cosme will sign the high profile performance in LSPR, or Puerto Rican Sign Language, distinct from American Sign Language in its unique grammar, rhythm and cultural identity, due to the history of Puerto Rican deaf community. 

"In a historic first, the signed rendition of the Apple Music Halftime Show will feature a multilingual signing program incorporating Puerto Rican Sign Language, led by Deaf Puerto Rican performer Celimar Rivera Cosme," an NFL release stated.

Rivera Cosme told ABC News through an interpreter in Spanish, ahead of her historic performance, "I feel incredibly proud because everything that Bad Bunny is doing is making history. And it means that sign language is also going to make history there."

She added, "The most important thing is to emphasize that we have our own language, our own identity and our own culture."

Rivera Cosme is known for her expressive, performance-driven style in interpreting sign language, fusing storytelling, rhythm and passion in a manner that reflects the intensity of live music performances.  

Rivera Cosme and LSPR will take the one of the biggest entertainment stages in the world to showcase that talent, and she made it clear that her appearance is not just an interpretation but a performance of her own.

"Interpretation is one thing, but I'm not going there to interpret, I'm going to perform. In Puerto Rico, we're very used to seeing interpreters everywhere," she said. "But the Super Bowl is different -- you have to add your flow, your vibe, your style, and your attitude, and bring all of that together with the interpretation. The body's movement is different."

She recalled being in shock after getting the call from the NFL that she was chosen for the job, saying she hoped to bring the Puerto Rican deaf community with her into the spotlight.

"I said, 'Well, this means a great responsibility for me, especially for my deaf community, because it's great that they chose me, but I want to shine, and I want the Puerto Rican deaf community to shine with me too,'" she said.

Rivera Cosme has previously interpreted for Bad Bunny during other major performances. She was part of his 2022 World's Hottest Tour, where she gained widespread recognition. Additionally, she interpreted during Bad Bunny's El Choli residency in Puerto Rico, a cultural celebration of Puerto Rican identity that attracted more than 400,000 fans.   

"But the Super Bowl is a very big stage where many people will have their eyes on this event, and I'm very proud of that and of representing our Puerto Rican Sign Language," Rivera Cosme said.

A release from the NFL detailing the upcoming slate of Super Bowl entertainment explained that fans who are deaf or hard of hearing can watch the Super Bowl LX Pregame Ceremony, as well as the halftime show, "via a dedicated stream featuring ASL and LSPR performances," available on a variety of digital platforms.