No longer beholden to the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh took the gloves off in discussing his former employers and still managed not to sound vindictive.
Harbaugh spoke with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News for his first digital broadcast and revealed that his parting with the franchise was not mutual. The 49ers fired him.
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But he also insinuated that new 49ers coach Jim Tomsula may have been trying to put himself in position to become the next head coach during the season while Harbaugh was still there.
When Kawakami asked Harbaugh whether he thought Tomsula was campaigning for his job during the season, Harbaugh responded, "That's a good question for him, better than to me."
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"There was definitely a point where you walk down the halls -- I wasn't reading anything that was on the Internet, I was really focused on doing my job -- but definitely walk down the halls and people look away or they look at you and you know something's going on."
Harbaugh was equally responsive when asked about his departure and the leaks leading up to it. He said the 49ers fired him the day after they were eliminated from playoff contention with their Dec. 14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The parting was not mutual.
"Yes, I was told I wouldn't be the coach anymore," Harbaugh said of 49ers management. "And then ... you can call it 'mutual,' I mean, I wasn't going to put the 49ers in the position to have a coach that they didn't want any more.
"But that's the truth of it. I didn't leave the 49ers. I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me."
Harbaugh also hinted that the leaks that took place during the season about his job were coming from within the organization.
"I've got a pretty good understanding of some of the things that took place," Harbaugh said, according to the Mercury News. "I don't think we were playing out of the same playbook. But maybe there'll be a book someday. Maybe I'll write a manuscript."
The publication also reported that it made repeated phone calls to the 49ers for a response. None came.
Kawakami said he thought York was responsible for the leaks. York denied involvement when Kawakami asked him directly.
"Those are good questions for him and the 49er hierarchy," Harbaugh told the paper of York's role. "And we'll leave it at that."
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