San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York has been reluctant to discuss former head man and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh's time with the team since their "mutual parting" following the 2014 season, but he changed his tune this week.
Speaking on the MMQB Podcast with Peter King, York talked about his relationship with Harbaugh, if he had any regrets about letting Harbaugh go and how he would like for the two to meet up and have dinner.
“I don’t know if regret is the right word," York said. "We had a lot of success together. We tried a lot of times to get an extension done with Jim and for whatever reason those didn’t culminate. And, ultimately, as successful as it was here, I think Jim is very happy and he’s doing an unbelievable job at Michigan.
“We obviously didn’t have success after Jim left. I don’t know that we’d be sitting here with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan if something happened. And I don’t know it would have worked long-term if we did get something done. I regret how we performed the last two years. I regret how the relationship was frayed between me and a coach that did a lot of great things for this franchise.
“And I actually talked to his brother (Ravens head coach) John (Harbaugh) briefly at the owner’s meetings and he said “You know, you guys need to get together some time and have dinner.’ And I said ‘I’d love to do that.’ I’d love to get together. And I think enough time has kind of passed where you can let whatever issues that were there be buried and just truly be thankful for three great years. When nobody expected us, certainly in 2011, to beat the Saints the way we did. To get close and be two muffed punts away from going to a Super Bowl in ’11. And just all the things that happened.
“You know, I’d love to sit down with Jim. Not in front of cameras, not in front of anybody else, but just share an evening with him and truly say thank you. And wish him the best of luck - not obviously when he plays Notre Dame. But for the rest of the season, wish him the best of luck.”
Harbaugh has been publicly critical of York and then-general manager Trent Baalke since the he and the team parted ways. In his final months with the 49ers, Harbaugh kicked York out of a "men only" meeting.
And just this past March, he had the following to say about the duo: "Much like my situation in San Francisco, the people that are doing the micromanaging … when it comes to building a ball team, what they know could not blow up a small balloon.”
San Francisco has gone just 7-25 in the two seasons since Harbaugh left, and are now on their third head coach since. Meanwhile, Harbaugh has won 10 games in each of his first two seasons with the Wolverines.
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