Nearly three years after wearing the infamous Dallas Cowboys T-shirt that landed him an NFL fine, the San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle recently admitted to keeping the shirt in his locker to remind him of the historic rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Niners. 

During his guest appearance on the 197th episode of the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce on July 1, Kittle admitted to keeping the “F*** Dallas” T-shirt with him in the locker every day and admitted to wearing it recently during the Niners media day. 

“I wore it for my photo shoot yesterday for media day,” Kittle said. “It’s in my locker every day. Every day, it’s in my locker.” 

Kittle said he took inspiration from the former 49ers linebacker Gary Plummer.

“When [Kyle] Shanahan and [John] Lynch first got there, they wanted people to understand the history of the Niners,” Kittle said during the same podcast. "One of the images that was shown to us was Gary Plummer. He was a linebacker, and he was wearing this f*** Dallas T-shirt pregame of a game versus Dallas. I was like, at some point in my career, I want to do that." 

Plummer wore a shirt with the same message on it before the 1994 NFC Championship game against the Cowboys. 

Kittle further shared that he had Plummer’s photo of him wearing the Cowboys T-shirt saved on his phone for nine years, until he got the courage to wear a similar undershirt with the explicit message for the 2023 season game against the Cowboys.

He wore it during a Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 5, where he caught three touchdown passes for 67 yards in a 42-10 victory against the Cowboys.

Kittle was fined $13,659 by the NFL for his unsportsmanlike conduct and for wearing a Cowboys t-shirt that had explicit language underneath his uniform on the field. 

While Kittle continues to embrace the historic rivalry, his primary focus now is on staying healthy and preparing to be available throughout the 2026 season with the 49ers.

George Kittle details recovery progress ahead of training camp

During the same interview, Kittle gave an update about his rehab after he tore his Achilles tendon during a Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles (23-19 win).

“Rehab’s going great," Kittle said. "I got on the AlterG treadmill, which is the anti-gravity treadmill. I’m at 100 percent body weight, going at nine miles an hour jogging. So, I think I’m ahead of schedule. I was in cleats for the first time yesterday. So, hey, we’re back on the field, baby.”

He was kept on injured reserve in January 2026 and is expected to join the team to play week 1 against the Rams in Australia, as reported by ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

With the training camp approaching, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are taking a cautious approach with his recovery, though they remain optimistic about his Week 1 return in the regular season.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar