It's one thing for Deion Sanders to say the San Francisco 49ers locker room is divided on coach Jim Harbaugh. It's quite another when one of the two most popular 49ers in franchise history says it.
Newsday reported Tuesday that Hall of Famer Jerry Rice said current 49ers players are telling him that Harbaugh's college-style coaching is wearing thin in San Francisco.
And Rice believes that Jim Harbaugh is done with the 49ers after this season, according to Sports Illustrated.
"With Jim Harbaugh, there's a lot of questions out there right now," Rice said, according to SI. "We don't really know if he wants to come back and be the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers...Maybe that's starting to wear and tear on the team and it's taking its toll."
The tenuous situation, Rice believes, has contributed to the 49ers' 4-4 start this season.
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"The team, they try to say, 'Well, we're not affected by it.' But you are, because (the coach and GM) have to make very crucial decisions that are really going to benefit the team. There's a lot going on with that organization right now and I think it's starting to hurt the players down there in the locker room."
The all-time career leader with 197 touchdowns told Newsday that some current members of the team just aren't buying into his brand of coaching.
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"I have heard some complaints from some players that he likes to try to coach with the collegiate mentality, and that's just not going to work in the NFL," Rice said at a charity event on Tuesday, via Newsday.
Harbaugh and the 49ers management agreed to put off contract negotiations until after the season, but the relationship has been strained - at least publicly - ever since rumors swirled that the 49ers were considering trading the head coach to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for draft picks in February.
Is Jerry Rice a more credible source than Deion Sanders on issues within the San Francisco 49ers organization? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN>
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