Jim Harbaugh 1, 49ers 0; or was he facing off against Jim Tomsula?
The Michigan coach made an unreferenced tweet that ESPN took as a shot against his former employer, but it also could've been intended for his former employee.
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ESPN retold Harbaugh's exit from San Francisco of less than a year ago, noting that Harbaugh refuted the 49ers' contention that the parting was mutual.
After the 49ers fired Tomsula after a 5-11 season in 2015, Harbaugh couldn't resist making a comment on social media. Whether it was directed at the 49ers or Tomsula -- or both -- is left to the discretion of the viewer.
Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow.
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) January 4, 2016
Friction existed between Harbaugh and 49ers management, consisting of owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke, despite the fact that Harbaugh took the 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship Games from 2011-13, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.
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The team released Harbaugh after the team regressed to 8-8 in 2014 -- still three games better than their 2015 season with Tomsula. Harbaugh left the 49ers and Tomsula on tenuous terms.
Of York and Baalke, Harbaugh said, "Yes, I was told I wouldn't be the coach anymore. 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."
When asked about whether he thought Tomsula was undermining his authority by campaigning for the head coaching job, Harbaugh responded: "That's a good question for him, better than to me.
"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."
So Harbaugh's tweet may have been innocent and coincidental in terms of timing. Or it could've been a swift kick to both the 49ers and Tomsula.
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