The breakup between Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers was not a pleasant one. However, if given the opportunity, Jed York would like to try to repair his relationship with the now Michigan head coach.
After four seasons at Stanford, Harbaugh joined the 49ers on a five-year contract in 2011. He would go on to lead San Francisco to one Super Bowl appearance and two other trips to the NFC Championship Game in his first three seasons. Harbaugh was fired after the Niners went 8-8 in 2014.
While the performance of the team played a part, so did a strained relationship between Harbaugh and team management. During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, Niners CEO Jed York said he would like to sit down and talk with Harbaugh about what transpired.
“I regret how we performed the last two years and I regret how the relationship was frayed between me and a coach who did a lot of great things for this franchise,” York said, as transcribed by M Live. “I talked with his brother, John, at the owner’s meetings and he said ‘you guys need to get together and have dinner sometime,’ and I said ‘I’d love to do that.’ I think enough time has kind of passed where you can let whatever issues that were there be buried and truly be thankful for three great years.”
Has enough time passed for Harbaugh to forgive all the leaks and the way he was pushed out by San Francisco?
The two sides have headed in opposite directions since their split. Harbaugh landed at Michigan and has gone 20-6 in two seasons. The Niners have managed a total of seven wins the past two seasons and finished last in the NFC West each year.
It seems unlikely Harbaugh and York would sit down to try to hash out there differences. Harbaugh appears to have moved on. It’s a nice thought by York, though.
