Jim Harbaugh 'Demanded Too Much,' Says 49ers Lineman Alex Boone

49ers Lineman Says Jim Harbaugh 'Demanded Too Much"

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh might want to avoid talk of this on the recruiting trail.

Alex Boone, an offensive lineman who played under Harbaugh when he coached the San Francisco 49ers, said the hard-driving coach may be certifiably "crazy," NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk reported Sunday.

"I think he just pushed guys too far," he told HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in a segment to air Tuesday, as quoted by NBC's ProFootballTalk.

"He wanted too much, demanded too much, expected too much. You know, 'We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this.' And you'd be like, 'This guy might be clinically insane. He's crazy,'" said Boone, who does not hold a degree in psychology.

In a reported "mutual" parting of the ways, Harbaugh left the 49ers in December and signed a deal to coach his alma mater, Michigan, where he played quarterback before playing in the NFL. (Harbaugh's father, Jack Harbaugh, also served as an assistant football coach for the Wolverines in the 1970s.)

According to an SFGate 49ers' blog, Boone's statements were a departure from September, when he said, "I know for a fact everyone loves Harbaugh."

To be fair, Boone also said on "Real Sports" that Harbaugh will make a better college coach than an NFL coach.

Echoing Boone, Mike Greenberg said Harbaugh is a college coach and is "right where he belongs," while taking about the report on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" on Monday. Greenberg effusively praised Harbaugh as well, saying he "is as good a football coach as there is" and "might be the best football coach in the world.

Harbaugh on "Real Sports" himself, acknowledged the alleged difficulties of him getting along with others, saying, "it must be true, yeah, sometimes I wear out my welcome," per ProFootballTalk.

Here's a preview of the Harbaugh segment on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel":

H/T ESPN

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