Alex Boone says the rumor from Deion Sanders that everyone on the 49ers wants Jim Harbaugh fired is not true.
Boone, a guard who signed a new contract before the season, defended Harbaugh during an appearance on “The Damon Bruce Show” on 97.5 The Game on Monday.
[See: Deion Sanders says 49ers players want Jim Harbaugh gone]
“So what’s the problem? I’m confused. Is winning not good? Is business not a’booming right now, boys? Here’s my problem with all of this: If you’re not in our locker room, then keep the 49ers name out of your mouth,” Boone said. “Let’s just do that, because you have no idea what goes on in our locker room.
“If they just named a name – ‘He said this’ — now you got a story. But everyone’s saying, ‘The suits upstairs’ or ‘Somebody in the locker room.’ Well, who are the suits and who are the guys? Because last I checked, I was in the locker room yesterday and it was all smiles and everybody was happy and nobody was saying, ‘We want him out.’”
Boone then countered the rumors and boldly stated that everybody on the team loves Harbaugh.
“As a matter of fact, I know for a fact that everybody loves Harbaugh,” Boone told Bruce. “He’s a great guy. He’s a great coach. How could you not want to win for a guy who wears cleats during a game? Come on, now. Have you ever seen that guy’s energy? He’s excited 24/7. You got to love to play for a guy like that. That’s what football’s all about.
“And for people to come out and say, ‘Oh, so-and-so told me they want him on the outs,’ all right, name your source. Go ahead. I can’t do that. Well, that doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know. Apparently, I don’t live in reality.”
Here’s the thing: the Niners were 1-2 entering Sunday’s game against the Eagles. When things are not going well, people complain and point fingers. I wouldn’t be surprised if after the 1-2 start, some unhappy players started saying Harbaugh needs to go. But now that they’re 2-2 and on the way up, those feelings will probably change.
Harbaugh himself was asked Monday about the report from Deion that the players want him fired.
“Personally, I think that’s a bunch of crap,” Harbaugh said in response.
Harbaugh then questioned anything that is anonymously sourced. He also said that Sanders and Trent Dilfer, an ESPN analyst who described the body language of 49ers players as “almost toxic,” are not in the locker room.
I’m discounting Dilfer’s portion here because what he said seemed to be a personal observation compared to Deion’s comments, which seem to be rooted in legitimate sources. I don’t doubt Deion’s sources, either. He’s close with many players around the league. But I bet Deion’s source or sources don’t represent the entire locker room. I also bet the 49ers will be able to put together a good season despite all the supposed issues. And all these rumblings are just more reasons why Harbaugh will probably be out after the season.
Transcription via CSN Bay Area
