Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh left the sidelines early into his team's Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, entering the blue medical tent for what the team called "an illness" at the time.
Right before kickoff, it appeared Jim Harbaugh went into the blue medical tent. pic.twitter.com/aoS0q4dkl2
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) October 13, 2024
He later left the tent and was taken to Los Angeles' locker room for a brief time until returning to the sidelines later in the first half. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter performed head coaching duties in Harbaugh's brief absence.
After Los Angeles' 23-16 win over Denver, Harbaugh addressed reporters in his postgame news conference and provided an update on what occurred.
Jim Harbaugh said he has atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat 250 to 350 times per minute. A flare up today is what caused him to leave the game. pic.twitter.com/YiGDPab4d3
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) October 13, 2024
Harbaugh described the episode as an "atrial flutter" which caused his heart to beat faster than normal. He said a similar episode occurred during a "Monday Night Football" game in 2012 when he was coaching in San Francisco.
"I'm medically qualified to talk about it," Harbaugh joked to reporters. "2-0 with arrythmias."
He noted his heart returned to a normal heart rate as he was leaving the field to go to the locker room and the team medical staff cleared him to head back to the sidelines.
However, the episode was serious enough that Harbaugh's brother, John, was alerted by Baltimore Ravens staff during his post-game news conference across the country. The Baltimore head coach was called away from the podium and out of the room, presumably to be told the news.
#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
It's unclear if the brothers spoke at all during the episode or after Los Angeles' game concluded. Jim Harbaugh did not mention if his condition would require any additional treatment going forward.
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