The dismissal of San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh still has most people who dabble in the art of the NFL scratching their heads, seeing as how he led the team to back-to-back NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl birth despite his knack for khakis and rocking a Sharpie around his neck like it was a Jesus piece.
The 49ers organization had been throwing shade at Harbaugh all season, and finally dropped the guillotine after the 49ers last game against the Arizona Cardinals. The parting was mutual, so said the 49ers press release announcing the deed. OR SO WE THOUGHT.
A report from San Jose Mercury News writer Tim Kawakami says that the Niners told Harbaugh he would be dipping and setting after the season on Dec. 14 following his squad's loss to the Seattle Seahawks that would officially eliminate them from the playoffs.
The 49ers played two more games after that, meaning Harbaugh was stewing on the sidelines and dreaming of Michigan co-eds while he attempted to coach a game for a team that was wiping their hands of him.
More from Kawakami:
So why did Harbaugh have to decide quickly and why did he let the 49ers put out the press release calling it a “mutual parting”?
Because Michigan needed an answer ASAP and Harbaugh didn’t want contractual complications–he had one year remaining on his 49ers contract and the 49ers could have made it a little tricky to jump even to college and definitely could’ve decided to hold that year over his head if he ever decides to return to the NFL in the future.
Kawakami goes on to say that Harbaugh was open to finishing out his contract with the 49ers even though he clashed with team owners, and hadn't even given much thought to other options. This is another bad look for an organization that has already replaced one of their most successful head coaches with a caveman.
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[Via San Jose Mercury News]
