Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh revealed that he experienced a heart condition known as atrial flutter during Sunday’s win against the Denver Broncos. This condition caused an irregularly fast heartbeat, which prompted Harbaugh to seek medical attention in the first quarter. After receiving treatment from paramedics in the locker room, including an electrocardiogram scan to monitor his heart, his heart rate was restored to normal. Harbaugh returned to the sidelines and coached the remainder of the game.
Harbaugh disclosed that this wasn’t the first time he experienced a similar issue. He recounted a similar event in 2012 when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers during a “Monday Night Football” game against the Chicago Bears.
In that instance, he also felt an irregular heartbeat but was able to finish coaching before seeing doctors afterward. Doctors weren’t able to regulate his heartbeat naturally then, so he underwent an ablation procedure, a treatment designed to correct arrhythmia by destroying the problematic heart tissue. He previously had the same procedure in 1999.
Despite the medical scare, Harbaugh downplayed the severity, even making light of his situation by joking that he is “2-0 with an arrhythmia.” During his absence, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter stepped in as interim head coach, although many of the players, including quarterback Justin Herbert, were unaware that Harbaugh had left the game. Herbert praised Harbaugh’s toughness and calmness under pressure, expressing his surprise when learning about the situation during the postgame press conference.
Harbaugh explained that he had felt some discomfort the night before the game but didn’t think much of it until pregame warmups when his heart started beating irregularly. He informed the team’s training staff early in the first quarter, leading to his brief departure. He hinted that another ablation might be necessary soon, noting that his previous procedures happened approximately 13 years apart, and he is now nearing that timeline again.
Harbaugh’s brother, John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, cut his own postgame news conference short to check on Jim’s health after hearing about the incident. Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz later informed John that Jim had been cleared by doctors and was doing well. The Chargers went on to win the game 23-16, improving their record to 3-2 for the season.
