Boldin on the report that Harbaugh is losing the locker room: “There’s no truth to it.”

ARLINGTON, Texas — Anquan Boldin was asked after the game about NFL.com’s report that Jim Harbaugh is losing the 49ers’ locker room. Here’s what Boldin said.

Q: Anquan, please bear with me on this question. This morning this thing came out on NFL.com saying there’s tension between some players and Harbaugh. When you have something to talk to him about football, do you feel comfortable going to talk to him?

BOLDIN: That’s one of the reasons I came here because I have a good relationship with Coach Harbaugh. I don’t know where that comes from. It’s my first time hearing it. There’s no truth to it.

Q: And you feel comfortable initiating the conversation?

BOLDIN: Yeah, Coach has an open-door policy. He always tells us any time we have to talk to him about something about football or not about football, feel free. A lot of guys have taken that opportunity. I have myself. Easy guy to talk to.

This article has 36 Comments

  1. Mr. Boldin a true professional. Lets put an end to this topic and celebrate the W and get ready for Chicago bears. GO NINERS

    1. Chicago the media is gonna iron this one out all weak. If indeed he has lost the locker rom, it sure is not evident on the field with the players effort.
      I remember the year Mike Nolan was fired. The players were sulking, arm tackling, giving up on plays. I don’t see any of that.

  2. Rumours of discontent in the locker room have been persistent for some time. There is probably some little bit of truth to it. The inside source is probably a guy like James that feels under used.

  3. Lost the locker room?????? It’s a freaking NEW STADIUM fercryinoutloud!!!!! Better find it better the opener. (How do you lose something that big anyway?)

  4. If players in the locker room are feeling discontent, more than likely it’s the players who barely made the team and won’t get much time on the field. Personally I’m glad James isn’t getting much playing time – he hasn’t shown me much – Hyde and Ellington have shown more as rookies than James has in an entire season.

    1. Hyde is looking really good, explosive and hungry for extra yards. He’ll be a difference in our match ups with Seattle too.

  5. Hey Grant,

    Is this what you meant when you wrote the media would hold Harbaugh to his word about Ray McDonald? It’s quite curious this story came out this weekend. The local Bay Area media really seems to dislike Harbaugh. Seems plausible to me a local journalist twisted a comment from some player to make it look like Harbaugh was losing the locker room and they fed it to the NFL network. Creating imaginary distractions would probably be the most effective way for some journalist to try to hold Harbaugh accountable for his handling of McDonald.

    1. All Rapaport did was parrot what Tim Kawakami has been writing all off-season.

      It’s nice be able to put all this chatter aside for at least 3 hours every week.

      1. You aren’t going to change their stripes, jack. I’ll take “Most Dysfunctional Team To Ever Win A Super Bowl” or “Unnamed Sources: Harbaugh Out The Door After Winning SB” headlines at the end of the season.

  6. I said it after sea chicken game last year. One of most significant differences to me was lynch and us not having a bulldozing high energy back. Now we do. Problem is defense has taken a step back. Replay last years game with Hyde and we win. This year I’m not so sure unless our passing game really flourishes or our defense pulls it together.

  7. For some reason, it seems that the media is eager to tear this team down. Imagine if the 49ers had lost that game …

    1. Yeah the media does have it out for our team..The problem is..we were supposed to be a one hit wonder..2011 magical year…we were supposed to take a step back in 2012..we get to the superbowl..2013..we were really supposed to take a step back further because of a certain team on the up rise in our division..We were a play away from the superbowl again..lol..So if u cant destroy us on the field..let’s do it off the field..magnify and blowup arrests..create tension between the coach and gm..knock our qb and coach’s media speak..Critique every aspect of the team..daily..It’s like the media wants to run the 49ers organization..how they see fit..I think we’re the most hated football team rite now..More for off the field..then on the field..lol..it’s crazy

    2. I doubt Rapoport’s story was a media fabrication or a sign that the media is out to get the 49ers.

      I also doubt that the reports accurately reflect how the players feel about Harbaugh.

      This has the feel of someone in management trying to (a) shape public opinion so that the team looks better if it doesn’t re-sign Harbaugh and/or (b) gain leverage in negotiations. I hope I’m wrong about that.

      1. It may not be a media fabrication, but I’m betting it’s a media enhancement. These Niner sources don’t seem to be dependable, at least not the ones Kawakami references before everything he reports turns out to be false.

        There is always grumbling in a locker room at times, it happens, but the focus should be on how they play when the lights go on, and when you see backups rising to the challenge and vets playing their butts off the way they do, it’s easy to see there is no issue in this locker room other than the usual emotional responses that pop up everywhere around the league.

        1. If we were talking about local media or PFT, I’d agree with you. My knowledge of Rapoport is limited, but I don’t get the sense he’s like that.

          1. Claude,

            That’s possible, but he essentially was just reposting info that came out a month ago. Why would players being angry about practicing in Baltimore be relevant on opening day? Imo, that is an attempt to make a story; not report one.

              1. It didn’t. This buzz about some vets not being happy about staying in Baltimore came out awhile ago.

              2. “it didn’t”. Maybe it did Rocket. The team travelling out East/South and it being the game of the week, week one would make for a great opening day story. Did the Bay area media report any such grumblings?

              3. This stuff about vets not being happy about staying in Baltimore and the practices being too hard came out 3 weeks ago FDM. Jason Cole is one I remember reporting it off the top of my head. It wasn’t new and certainly wasn’t a major story that needed to be reported on opening day.

                Claude,

                You could be right and maybe there is a link between LMJ getting released and this story, but I don’t go for conspiracy theories. All I know is Rappoport came out with a story focusing on info that had been put out there weeks in advance. Maybe he missed it the first time around or just wanted to report it because he had heard it himself, but it was not new and certainly wasn’t a revelation that needed to be broken on opening day.

            1. rocket:

              I agree the timing was odd, but I didn’t get the sense that Rapoport was merely recycling old news. I was left with the impression that someone reached out to him recently. The comments about players doubting whether Harbaugh is all in were new, at least to me. They also were the comments that sounded off to me and made me wonder if they were from someone on the management side.

              Then again, the timing of James’ release tends to support Big Suede’s theory.

              1. I put my response above by mistake. The statements about Harbaugh not being all in didn’t come from players imo. That’s where the gray area of Niner sources starts to unravel a bit for me. It could be that somebody in the front office is trying to pave the way for Harbaugh’s departure next year.

        2. The issue that this came out of was that the players did not like being in Baltimore so long practicing. That’s understandable. Its training camp, why would you want to be travelling across country, lodged somewhere else?
          This could be a galvanizing moment for the Niners. The world is against them, stick together and persevere.

      2. There’s a good chance that you’re right. By the way, what is the definition of a “good chance?”

  8. A lot of you have selected or provided your own avatar. Some of us were assigned our avatar. Can someone point me to the “select your own avatar” link that I don’t seem able to see.

    Of course there is always the possibility that a secret pass word is involved.

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