While Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and starting quarterback Justin Herbert prepare for Week 3, retired cornerback Richard Sherman rehashed his feud with coach Harbaugh. Sherman and Harbaugh's rift dates back to when Harbaugh coached the future Hall of Fame cornerback at Standford. Sherman joined the “St. Brown Podcast,” hosted by the St. Brown brothers, Detriot Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Chicago Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.
Then, Amon-Ra asked Sherman how he felt about the Chargers' head coach.
“I've gotten older and matured, and you know, time heals all, but still has to be a conversation between he and I. We've had a few texts, but it wasn't great,” Sherman said. “So, it made for great TV during our battles when he was with San Francisco.”
Sherman, who stopped himself from an ongoing rant, held back on his comments on Harbaugh.
“Talking s***,” Sherman added. “My bad, ya'll taking me back.”
During his college years, Sherman, then a wide receiver, underwent season-ending surgery in 2008, which he believes Harbaugh resented. The six-time Pro Bowler told Sherman he would never play offense at Standford again. Then, when Richard switched to defense as a cornerback, he was buried at the bottom of Standford football's depth chart.
Sherman has also accused the veteran head coach of failing to help him throughout the draft process as he prepared for the NFL. Upon entering the 2011 draft, Harbaugh's first season with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh used his executive “veto power” to block the franchise from drafting Sherman, per The Athletic's David Lombardi.
The 49ers had a third-round grade for the Stanford product, ultimately selected in the fifth round of the 2011 draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
“I wanted him out of the league,” Sherman said in 2020 during Super Bowl LIV week, per Phil Barber of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Jim Harbaugh becomes Chargers head coach in 2024
After a four-year run as the San Francisco 49ers head coach that resulted in three trips to the NFC Championship and one Super Bowl appearance, Jim Harbaugh coached Michigan football from 2015 to 2023. Then, in 2024, coach Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.
After crushing the Panthers 26-3 last Sunday and beating the Raiders 22-10 the week before, the Chargers are off to a perfect 2-0 start in Harbaugh's first season as head coach. Although Richard Sherman says the two have shared texts, he still has a 16-year gripe that deserves a face-to-face discussion.