Jim Harbaugh Says Breakup With 49ers Not As Mutual As Some May Think
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
The Jim Harbaugh-to-Michigan saga was a whirlwind of speculation and guesswork, but as time goes on, more and more information is beginning to come to light.
In an interview with the San Jose Mercury Sun's Tim Kawakami on The TK Show, Harbaugh revealed that his departure as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers may not have been as mutual as was originally portrayed.
"I was told that I wouldn't be the coach anymore and then that's being called mutual," Harbaugh said. "I wasn't going to put the 49ers in a position to have a coach that they didn't want anymore, but that's the truth of it.
"I didn't leave the 49ers, I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh said that the decision to let him go was made as early as a Week 15 loss on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, but that he wanted to be allowed to finish the season out.
"I wanted to finish what I started, what we started," Harbaugh said. "I have very fond memories of it and I'm never going to take the position to trash something that I was a part of.
"The memories that I have -- the wins, the championships, the titles -- those may be forgotten as time goes on, but I am never going to forget the players, the loyal coaches and the memories that I have of being a part of the San Francisco 49er team," Harbaugh said.
As for his eventual landing spot in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh said that the job as Michigan's head football coach was simply the best fit.
"For me, there's a lot of great jobs and great opportunities in coaching, but for me the Michigan job was the best job for me," Harbaugh said.
