IOWA CITY, Iowa — Like everything in his life, George Kittle’s trip back to Iowa City was nothing short of a whirlwind.
He and his wife, Claire, attended a wedding Saturday night. On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers tight end visited patients at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and returned to the football facility where he met with coach Kirk Ferentz. On Saturday afternoon, Kittle headlined a youth football camp at Kinnick Stadium for about 500 children, and Sunday, he sat for five hours at his favored Neon Dragon Tattoo shop in northeast Cedar Rapids, adding two more tattoos to his forearms. By Sunday night, he was on an airplane bound for San Francisco and organized team activities.
Sounds exhausting? Welcome to the George Kittle experience where he combines thoughtful introspection with a rock star vibe. At his football camp, Kittle sprinted from the Iowa tunnel through a sea of campers with hands extended. Kittle slapped as many palms as he could before reaching midfield. Throughout the day’s activities, Kittle knocked away multiple passes while playing defense and held his own in tug-of-war battles. Kittle humored the youngsters who wanted him to “do the gritty” and engaged in some tame trash talk.
Then there were the tender moments he…
