"That won't change with the next head coach," York said.
York did say it was his decision to play Ray McDonald after the defensive end came under investigation for felony domestic abuse. That decision was criticized by some columnists, but did not result in any legal charges against the player. McDonald was let go by the team this month after the San Jose Police Department said it was investigating him for a separate incident, involving an alleged sexual assault.
York said several times during the press conference that the 49ers did not conduct themselves with an acceptable "level of class" this year. He said the entire management team, including Harbaugh, was responsible for that.
Baalke said his relationship with Harbaugh, which has been written about as contentious, was "very misrepresented in the media." He said "it wasn't like that day to day." He said he had little success in dispelling the misconception: "The louder we talked, the less it was heard."
When asked if defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would be given consideration for the head coaching job, Baalke said "it wouldn't be fair to name any names."
More reactions
The Niners are taking some hits in print and on the Web as well. Below are some of the reactions to Harbaugh's you're-fired-I-quit departure. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News actually wrote that he thinks Baalke and York were behind the news stories earlier this season revealing that Harbaugh was in trouble with the team. York denied yesterday that he was the source of the leaks.
Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury News
(W)hen Harbaugh was talking to a few of us in the locker room, he said he was proud that he never resorted to the "off-the-record battle."
That began early this season with a series of leaks about his wobbly employment status and continued throughout the season.
And he said he'd like me to investigate that and write a column revealing the names of the leakers; but I told him we both already probably knew.
I'll say it here: I believe York and Baalke were the primary sources for the off-the-record disclosures that undercut Harbaugh's tenure.
Whether it was York and Baalke directly or indirectly, the 49ers front office set Harbaugh up on a tee this season, and Sunday was the anticlimax. Full story
Paul Gutierrez, ESPN
The 49ers need to move on from the turbulent and, until this past season, wildly successful Harbaugh era, yet need as much continuity as possible to reclaim said success.
Moving on from the combative Harbaugh, who was far from the only heavy in the Silicon Valley soap opera, the 49ers in general -- and general manager Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York in particular -- need peace as they search for sustained success in their new $1.2 billion football palace in Levi’s Stadium. Sure, you could say it’s the house that Harbaugh built, but it’s one from which many stalwart 49ers players might quickly depart. ...
This much is sure, though: The Niners will have a hard time finding someone like Harbaugh, who led the team out of mediocrity and back to the playoffs while becoming the face of the franchise. Full story
Ray Ratto, CSN Bay Area
(T)his long goodbye didn't have to happen except for front office prioritizing and coachly posturing that had gone on for more than a year without any serious attempts at reconciliation. It started with the contract that never happened and escalated from there to the point where it wasn't really about anything at all except Spy Vs. Spy.
It became what football organizations dread saying: a non-football decision. The team put out a press release calling it "a mutual decision," but none of these things ever are. Someone wins and someone else loses, and Harbaugh clearly lost, even though he got a whopping raise in defeat. His choice of Michigan is going back to the future for both parties, but York's decision to move on past him is one as well. Even if Harbaugh's replacement is not defensive line coach Jim Tomsula as expected, York, who was criticized with increasing fervor over the last year and change and reacted by making himself unavailable to local media as his father John did during his largely unhappy tenure in the big chair. ...
(T)his is a monumental tactical error in all eyes but his. Full story
Peter King, Sports Illustrated
The 49ers and coach Jim Harbaugh, after four tumultuous but highly successful seasons, were divorcing. The press release sounded amicable enough (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AND JIM HARBAUGH MUTUALLY AGREE TO PART WAYS, was the headline), but don’t they always?
“This year was doomed from the start,” said the 49er smart guy. “It’s the classic example of, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ This organization was totally tight the first year or so Jim was here, but lately, especially this year, it was always, ‘Sources say this, sources say that.’ You cannot run a successful organization with one side of the building leaking stuff to hurt the other side of the building. And it never stopped.” Full story
