Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh briefly went to the locker room during the team’s Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos. Later, Harbaugh revealed that he was dealing with a heart issue that required medical attention. What happened to Harbaugh, and will he coach tonight against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football?
What Is the Latest on Jim Harbaugh?
Right before the Chargers-Broncos game started, Harbaugh left the sideline and was examined by medical personnel in the blue tent. Then, he left the field and went to the locker room during the Chargers’ first drive.
The Chargers tweeted that Harbaugh was questionable to return due to an illness.
Right before kickoff, it appeared Jim Harbaugh went into the blue medical tent. pic.twitter.com/aoS0q4dkl2
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 13, 2024
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who joined Harbaugh from Michigan, stepped in as the acting head coach.
However, Harbaugh ultimately returned to the game before the end of the first quarter.
Meanwhile, his brother John, whose Baltimore Ravens played during the 1 p.m. ET window, was pulled out of his postgame press conference to receive an update on what happened and let him contact Jim.
#Ravens HC John Harbaugh was pulled out of his press conference. PR said it's for him to get on a call and find out what happened to Jim. pic.twitter.com/B0YSvghQuu https://t.co/ElemCcWBTr
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 13, 2024
After the Chargers’ win at Denver, Jim opened up about his health issue, explaining that he had an “atrial flutter” episode. WebMD defines atrial flutter as “a type of irregular heartbeat, or an arrhythmia” that “causes your heart to beat too fast.”
Fortunately, once he left the field, his heart resumed beating in a regular rhythm. Harbaugh joked that he’s “2-0 with arrhythmias,” as a similar incident occurred back in 2012 when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers.
During a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears, he had an irregular heartbeat. He was able to make it through the contest — a 32-7 win for the 49ers — and then saw a doctor later.
That time, Harbaugh’s heart didn’t resume beating normally, so he needed an ablation to fix it. Harbaugh has had two ablations, as he also had the procedure in 1999.
HC Jim Harbaugh says he had an "atrial flutter" episode today and that his heart got back into normal rhythm after he walked off the field.
He jokes: "I am medically qualified to talk about it."
"2-0 with arrythmias."-he says he had another one during a MNF game in SF. pic.twitter.com/qb0NzvXPbg
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) October 13, 2024
Fortunately, Harbaugh’s heart returned to normal this time, and he was able to resume coaching. Given his history with atrial flutters, Harbaugh joked that he is “qualified to talk about it.”
He started taking medication for his heart and will wear a heart monitor over the next few weeks, but he’ll be able to coach his Chargers tonight as they take on the Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
“It would take my heart stopping for me not to be out there on the sideline,” Harbaugh said.
Who Is Jesse Minter?
Minter is the Chargers’ defensive coordinator who filled in as acting head coach while Harbaugh was receiving medical attention. Minter was an assistant coach under Harbaugh at Michigan, as he was the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023. Once Harbaugh accepted the Chargers’ head coaching gig, Minter followed him to the pros.
However, this isn’t Minter’s first time coaching at the NFL level. From 2017 to 2020, he coached under Jim’s brother, John, as a member of the Ravens’ coaching staff. He started as a defensive assistant in 2017 and 2018, then moved to assistant defensive backs coach in 2019 and defensive backs coach in 2020.
Minter has been coaching since 2006, when he got his start as a defensive intern at Notre Dame. In addition to his NFL experience with the Chargers and Ravens, Minter has also had collegiate stints with Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Indiana State, Georgia State, Vanderbilt, and Michigan over the course of his 18-year coaching career. Prior to coaching, Minter was a wide receiver at Mount St. Joseph University, but his specialty as a coach has been on the defensive side of the ball.
Minter is off to a terrific start with the Chargers’ defense, as Los Angeles is allowing the fewest points per game (13.2) and fifth-fewest yards per game (289.2).