Jim Harbaugh says Deion Sanders’ report is a bunch of crap

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Monday afternoon about the reports that he is losing his team.

Q: Deion Sanders last night on NFL Network, owned by the league, said your players don’t want to play for you anymore. Do you have a reaction to that?

HARBAUGH: Personally, I think that’s a bunch of crap.

Q: Does it bother you to hear it?

HARBAUGH: People say what they say.

Q: There have been other reports, mostly from the NFL Network, that you have lost the locker room. Do you think there is someone in the organization who is saying things to them?

HARBAUGH: Whatever you’re talking about, unnamed sources, if somebody’s got a good story to tell they want to put their name to it. If you had a good story to tell you would put your name to it. If I had a good story to tell I would want to put my name to it. So I don’t put a lot of credibility into the unnamed source.

Q: After the first game of the season you talked about your open door policy. In the three weeks since then have you had any players come in and voice disapproval with the way things are going?

HARBAUGH: Nothing specifically, no. There are conversations and we never really talk about those. Like I said, players have good ideas. Coaches have good ideas. Equipment managers have good ideas. Trainers have good ideas. Strength coaches. Welcome that. If we’re not doing something right or there is a better way to do it, let’s get it out in the open. Let’s talk about it. We’re willing to do anything to fix something or make it better. That’s the kind of relationship that we have. And I include all of those – coaches and staff and players in that. There are conversations like that, yeah. Weekly.

Q: Have there been conversations about growing discontent in the locker room?

HARBAUGH: No.

Q: Trent Dilfer this morning was saying that the atmosphere is almost toxic here.

HARBAUGH: Really. I haven’t seen Trent or Deion around much.

Q: You get no sense from your locker room that there are problems inside there?

HARBAUGH: I talk about this because I was really pleased with this and it’s a joy to coach. Take the ballgame that we had yesterday. We got some things that went against us. A lot of things in the first quarter were going against us and more things in the second quarter. What I love about our ball club is there’s no finger pointing. There is total belief in each other – offense lifting up defense, defense lifting up the offense. Both doing that with the special teams. That’s a joy to be around. That’s a joy to coach. Now, they’re playing for each other and that’s what they should be doing. I’m not taking any credit for that. I’m just expressing, that’s a joy to be around these fighters, these men.

Q: Do you have veterans that you go and check with to see how things are going with the players?

HARBAUGH: Yes. I’m not going to give this any more credibility than we already have. This is way too much along those lines.

Q: You said this is a bunch of crap. Usually you don’t say things that strongly. Does this tick you off?

HARBAUGH: No. You asked me the question and I answered it.

ME: Is it important for players to like a coach?

HARBAUGH: Again, this has gone on way too far in my opinion. We’re talking about unnamed sources.

Q: How is your relationship with Jed York and Trent Baalke at this moment?

HARBAUGH: Very good. Everybody on the same page. Everybody focused on this season, making it the best that it can possibly be. Working well together.

Q: Have they raised any questions about what the locker room mood is to you?

HARBAUGH: No.

Q: Do you notice a difference in the locker room from this year to previous years?

HARBAUGH: I think I’ve answered the question really thoroughly. To give the unnamed sources 10 follow up, 12 follow up questions…I think I’ve answered it thoroughly. To the best of my ability.

This article has 50 Comments

    1. The media is insane. Asking the same question over and over expecting a different answer. Grant do’nt you feel its a sign of mental illness?

      1. Old Coach,

        I was reading that the general public looks down on several professions and the media was on top of the list. Now I know the reason why. Redundant questions. Liked he is going to really answer it.

      2. Grant maybe Harbaugh should take a hint from Grant Cohn. When asked a stupid question just ignore it, Do you think the scribes would put up with that?

    2. Apparently until Harbaugh breaks down like a witness being cross-examined by Perry Mason and admits, “You’re right; I’m a bastard and they all hate me! The players, the coaches, Jed York, Trent Baalke, they all hate me, and it’s my fault because I don’t appreciate the media like I should.”

    3. Seriously though everybody, Harbaugh is not wearing the uniform on the field; so he is not going to win the game, or lose the game.

    4. They did the same thing with the McDonald situation. They would rather find something negative to rip the team about than report on football. That is what media has become: sensationalism to entice a wider audience to read something.

      Rappaport said pretty much the same thing the first week of the season and it was debunked by every 9er player who was asked about it. Now here we are with the same stuff being brought up again 3 weeks later. I have no idea what the purpose is, but it’s gotten out of hand with nobody listening to the players who have said it isn’t true, instead preferring to give credibility to unnamed sources.

      I’ve pretty much gotten to the point where I don’t read either Cohn or Kawakami because there is no football in the content anymore and what little there is isn’t worth reading.

      So many like to sit on their high horse and throw scorn down from their morality high chair, while others look for leaks in the dike to blow open and cause chaos to insue. That is what reporting is these days I guess.

  1. Boldin answered this question a couple of weeks ago, I find this pure BS. Grant, why don’t you ask Kaep ? I’m sure he will give you a straight answer. I’m sure there were players, that hated Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh and Belicheat. Not much of anything here.

  2. Guys its just the media trying to ignite a small fire. The 49ers are struggling so any pile on creates more news. I think its all part of the game. Winning cures all so these repeated questions is just trying to stir the pot. Lets move on to a bigger story with the Chiefs and Alex Smith coming back. I will be at the game this Sunday. Cant wait.

  3. Dennis Allen is hanging by a thread, and the Bay Area media is questioning HARBAUGH about losing his team? OMG.

  4. It was the typical TMZ questions started by none other than Kawakami. Always looking to stir the pot instead of focusing on how well the defense and Mr. Gore played yesterday. It is no wonder most athletes and coaches go into a shell in public. And, of course Grant tries to perpetuate the continuation of a non story.

  5. This is nothing but a joke. On a day after a great comeback win against a good team we have to talk about this this bull@$#/ being stirred up by the media?! How about the media try using that little dot that rattles inside their head called a brain and ask some questions about the game like, I don’t know, if the throw to Gore was scripted that way or did Kaep improvise on a busted play, how the play of Lynch was, what Bethea has done to make the secondary better, or how about the strugles of the OL? Talk about the game instead of your freaking witch hunt. We get it. You don’t like Harbaugh. Now grow up and do your job.

      1. Yes he is, Mid…and he looked petty damm good last night vs the Pats, as did the rest of the Chiefs. This weeks game will be interesting…

  6. The media, particularly the younger ones, appear to be suffering from what I call the “Woodward – Bernstein” syndrome. They all grew up hearing about the great investigative journalists Woodward and Bernstein whose relentless efforts uncovered the secrets of watergate and brought down the Nixon presidency. They come out of journalism schools with visions of working the white house beat for the Washington Post and keeping the political leadership honest.

    Then they find that they have just enough talent to become a sports reporter for a small time newspaper. Is it any wonder that they spent their careers turning over rocks to see if they can find any kind of scandal to splash.

  7. Colts just released Da’Rick Rogers for getting a D.U.I. It’s also being reported that Irsay did this while holding a vodka.

  8. The whole topic of liking or disliking a head coach is overrated.

    Mike Singletary was liked, but didn’t know what he was doing.
    Tom Coughlin was hated by recent HOF Michael Strahan (Strahan has shared this) although Coughlin brought a winning formula to the team. Strahan has since turned a 180 regarding Coughlin.

    I’m sure that the legendary Bill Walsh wasn’t always liked by some of his players. Same could probably be said about Bill Belichick and other head coaches that have been highly successful.

    Players like Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis who have felt the sting and misery of losing. There is no way that they would allow any dissatisfaction or discord with coaches affect their play on the field.

    Will they tank games because they suddenly don’t like their coach? Heck no!
    These guys want to win, period, whether they play for their coach or not won’t change that resolve.
    They may not like their coach (alleged) but they respect the winning formula that Harbaugh has instilled and made them winners.

  9. Reminded of Bill Walsh in his final season where many sensed, speculated he would leave
    following the end of the 1988 campaign. Indeed, he did and, fortunately, it was with his 3rd Super Bowl trophy. We can only hope for a similar result here, although this team and this coach do not strike one as being Super Bowl bound.

  10. Historical Context:

    When Walsh was winning championships half the locker room feared him and the other half hated him.

  11. The whole “lost the locker room” thing is getting tired, but I don’t blame Grant and the Bay Area media for making this a focus of today. It is doing a loop of the national media courtesy of Deion Sanders, so it is topical and would be remiss of them to not ask about it.

    1. I’d take issue with that Scooter. The “focus” should have been on the win, and a couple of questions about the “locker room” would have sufficed…..

      1. I agree Razor, especially since it was the same question asked over and over again with different wording.

      2. Difference there between “the” focus and “a” focus. I have no qualms with this being “a” focus.

        The media asked more questions about the game yesterday than they did about the locker room.

        1. The problem with this being ‘a’ focus Scooter is that the media is going to bleed it dry, give it a blood transfusion, and then bleed dry again.

        2. There was no reason for that many questions about it which is why he got ticked off. They just won a football game; the last thing he wanted to talk about was rumors of discontent in his locker room. As a fan, I can honestly say I was good after one question about it as well. When it gets to 5-6 and he’s already given his response, it gets old and enters badgering territory. Kawakami, Lowell and a few others really don’t seem to care about football anymore. They are far more interested in salacious details about the semantics inside the locker room.

          1. Sure, I agree they didn’t need to ask as many q’s as they did about it, but hardly surprising. If there is locker room discord then that really is potentially big news, with big ramifications for the team.

            Most of the presser was about the game yesterday.

            In general though I agree the media has been focusing far too much on trying to stir the pot. Its more gossip magazine than football insider for much of the Bay Area media atm.

      3. Agree. I don’t see a problem with a couple of questions about the reports, but this basically looked like a bunch of folks trying to find out how many different ways they could answer the same question. Oh well, Harbaugh is a big boy and can handle it just fine.

    2. @Scooter,

      Ya but the Media is going to hang their hat on something Deion said?

      I wouldn’t even consider him Media. Deion is nothing but a Clown and acts like the Biggest D-Bag on the face of the planet.

  12. @CamInman 15m
    Trent Baalke (on @DamonBruce) about Harbaugh saga: “I find it a little ridiculous when people outside the locker room are talking about it.”

  13. I personally can comprehend anyone ever losing a locker room. I mean where could it possibly go?. Even if you did lose it you could always follow the smell of sweat and find it easily.

  14. This is the best Harbaugh can muster to counter-spin the public rumors about his pending demise? A single grunted sentence attached to an epithet? Where is Harbaugh’s crisis communication management skills? Based on fact Harbaugh’s departure rumors started in earnest last year hasn’t Harbaugh’s staff been preparing him for this day? Typical method of operation- Harbaugh has done it again: failed to properly prepare and make on the fly adjustments. This guy is out to touch with the outside. Circle the wagons and climb in your information free bubble coach.

    1. Red and Gold, unnamed sources tell me you beat your wife and kick your dog. Let’s hear your emphatic denial.

        1. These rumors have been circulating for some time, out of touch Red and Gold is obviously in an information-free bubble with no crisis communication management skills

          Let’s elevate this story to the top of every sporting site. Because where there’s smoke, there’s….

          1. I’m glad you cleared that up for me. I thought the original post had something to do with a ‘free bubble coach’: which I assumed was a no-charge bus through Champagne, Fwrance.
            ; >)

        2. So did Red and Gold Draw String stop beating his wife or not?

          And doesn’t Grant have a moral obligation to suspend his commenting privileges until the matter can be investigated?

  15. Where students and I can post answers for others students.. Somewhere people can get answers for their quizes and tests.. No sarcastic answers or anything.. If enough people say yes, then I will definetely start one and send those people the link to the blog..

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