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Jim Harbaugh suffers irregular heartbeat episode at start of Chargers game

The 60-year-old coach left the sideline before returning to guide Los Angeles to a win at Denver, after which he joked that he was “2-0 with arrhythmias.”

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Chargers Coach Jim Harbaugh said he underwent ablation procedures to address heart issues in 1999 and 2012. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Jim Harbaugh confirmed to reporters after a win Sunday by his Los Angeles Chargers that he missed the start of the game because of a heart-related issue.

Describing the episode as a “minor” case of atrial flutter, the 60-year-old coach told reporters that before the contest at the Denver Broncos’ home stadium kicked off, he could “tell there were some irregular beats.” Harbaugh was seen first heading to his team’s medical tent on the sideline, then to the Chargers’ locker room.

He returned to the sideline during the first quarter and, from that point on, was able to coach his team to a 23-16 victory. Later in the game, CBS Sports sideline reporter AJ Ross said Harbaugh told her he had been “dealing with arrhythmia,” which was “something he’s been dealing with on and off for a while.”

During a postgame news conference, Harbaugh said that after doctors examined him, his heart went back to a “normal rhythm,” enabling him to come back out to the field.

At multiple points during his comments to reporters, Harbaugh made light of the situation, including while recalling a similar episode in 2012, when he was coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Days before a Monday night game against the Chicago Bears, he underwent a procedure for an irregular heartbeat. Harbaugh made a quick return and led his squad to a win over the Bears.

“2-0 with arrhythmias,” he said Sunday with a smile.

Harbaugh added that the procedure he had in 2012, known as a cardiac ablation, was not his first, as it followed one in 1999. Atrial flutter, which he said he experienced Sunday, occurs when the upper chambers of the heart begin pumping at a very high rate.

With Harbaugh off the field for the start of the game, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter served as the Chargers’ interim coach. In that span, Los Angeles got an interception during Denver’s opening drive and turned it into a field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Harbaugh’s brother, Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh, left a news conference after his team’s win Sunday over the Washington Commanders to check by phone on his sibling’s health.

Jim Harbaugh is in his first season with the Chargers, who were coming off a bye week Sunday and improved to 3-2 with the win in Denver. Following his four-year stint with the 49ers — which included a close loss to his brother’s Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII — Harbaugh coached the Michigan Wolverines for nine years and led his alma mater to the College Football Playoff championship in January.