Jed York is issuing an apology to San Francisco 49ers fans after the team’s dismal Thanksgiving night performance, which some believe could mean the end of the line for coach Jim Harbaugh.
The 49ers were dominated by the Seattle Seahawks in a 19-3 defeat on Thursday night, a win that put the Seahawks in control in the NFC West and dealt a serious blow to San Francisco’s playoff hopes. After the loss, 49ers CEO Jed York took to Twitter to apologize to fans for the team’s performance.
Thank you #49ersfaithful for coming out strong tonight. This performance wasn’t acceptable. I apologize for that
— Jed York (@JedYork) November 28, 2014
The tweet has led many to believe that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is on the way out after this season.
There have been reports of locker room tensions for years, and sources say the situation has gotten so bad this year that the team is planning to part ways with Harbaugh , even if they go on to win the Super Bowl.
“I don’t see any way Jim Harbaugh comes back next year as the head coach of the 49ers even if they hoist the Lombardi,” NFL insider Jay Glazer said back in October.
Now it appears that Harbaugh’s dismissal could come even sooner. Reporters noted that he met with Jed York in a closed-door meeting after Thursday’s loss. Afterward, Harbaugh had little to say about the tweet from Jed York.
Asked about Jed York’s apology/unacceptable performance Tweet, Harbaugh said: “I don’t know anything about the Tweet…
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 28, 2014
But others believe that firing Jim Harbaugh may be a difficult decision for Jed York and the 49ers front office. Despite locker room tensions and some growing unrest among players, Harbaugh was able to turn around the underachieving 49ers team and take it to the NFC Championship game in each of his first three seasons as coach.