Michael Crabtree Downplays Deion Sanders’ Report About Jim Harbaugh

As far as Michael Crabtree is concerned, all is well between his teammates and his head coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Crabtree took to social media to refute an earlier report from NFL Media’s Deion Sanders which says Harbaugh, the San Francisco 49ers head coach, “really got some problems” with his players, per NFL.com’s Marc Sessler: 

“Michael Crabtree isn’t buying what Primetime is selling. 

“After NFL Media’s Deion Sanders said on Sunday’s NFL GameDay Final that 49ers players ‘really got some problems’ with coach Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco’s leading receiver took to Twitter on Tuesday to downplay the report:

I don’t know what people are talking about with Mr Deion… But we good over here!

— Michael Crabtree (@KingCrab15) September 30, 2014

“It’s significant to hear from Crabtree, known as a close friend of Deion’s and initially considered by many as the Hall of Famer’s source. Sanders denied on Twitter that Crabtree fed him the information, saying that his sources wear ‘uniforms, suits and ties.’

“Sanders, of course, isn’t the first to suggest unrest inside the team’s locker room. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that grumbling from 49ers veterans over Harbaugh is getting ‘louder and louder,’ partly because the coach treats his players like ‘children.’

“‘Personally, I feel that’s a bunch of crap,’ Harbaugh told reporters on Monday. ‘If someone has a good story to tell, they want to put their name to it. If I had a good story to tell, I’d want to put my name to it, so I don’t put a lot of credibility to the unnamed source.’

“Best way for the Niners to make this go away? Keep pounding opponents the way San Francisco did to Philly on Sunday afternoon.”  

According to ESPN San Francisco 49ers reporter Paul Gutierrez, 49ers right guard Alex Boone also defended his head coach on ESPN Radio affiliate 95.7 The Game on Sept. 29:

“Also, right guard Alex Boone went on ESPN Radio affiliate 95.7 The Game on Monday afternoon.

“‘If you’re not in our locker room, then keep the 49ers’ name out of your mouth,’ Boone said. ‘Let’s just do that. Because you have no idea what goes on in our locker room. 

“‘I know for a fact that everybody loves Harbaugh. He’s a great guy. How can you not want to win for a guy that wears cleats during a game? Come on now. Have you not seen that guy’s energy? He’s excited 24-7. You’ve got to love to play for a guy like that. That’s what football is all about.’

“Harbaugh said Monday he had trouble giving credence to ‘anonymous’ sources, calling it ‘crap,’ something Boone echoed.

“Meanwhile, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, with whom Harbaugh purportedly has a tenuous relationship, downplayed the reports on his weekly radio appearance on The Game.

“‘All I know is that this team is fully committed,’ Baalke said, ‘everybody from the head coach on down. We’re all in, and we’re all in it together and we’ve got to continue to grind.'”

I have no inside source here, but I’ll be shocked if Michael Crabtree is back with the 49ers in ’15 if Jim Harbaugh is head coach.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 29, 2014

It was during the aftermath of San Francisco’s 26-21 win over the visiting Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday when Sanders said the 49ers were complaining about Harbaugh, per CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:

“After showing highlights of the 49ers’ 26-21 victory over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders said the 49ers have turned against coach Jim Harbaugh.

“‘They want him out,’ Sanders said. ‘They’re not on the same page.

“‘I really want to know if they’re really playing for the head coach. I got a question with that. Are you really down with your head coach, San Francisco 49ers?’ Sanders said. ‘Because the way it looks and what I’m hearing, you’re really not down for your head coach. And that’s a problem. 

“‘They really got some problems that we hear rumblings. We all know people inside locker rooms.’ 

“Sanders definitely knows Crabtree very well. He served as an advisor to Crabtree, and was the first to report that Crabtree was ending his protracted rookie holdout in October of 2009. 

“In reference to the obvious connection with Crabtree, Sanders predictably wrote Monday on Twitter that Crabtree was not the person who supplied him with his information.

“Sanders wrote: ‘To many that this /4/concern @KingCrab15 is not my source. My sources wears uniforms, suits and ties. #Truth.'” 

The 49ers currently sport a 2-2 win-loss record heading into their Week 5 showdown against the 2-2 Kansas City Chiefs. 

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