Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh had to receive medical attention for a heart rhythm problem before Sunday’s 23-16 win over the Denver Broncos.
Harbaugh said he experienced an “atrial flutter,” also called an arrhythmia, but his heart rate returned to normal after he went to the locker room.
Harbaugh, 60, addressed the issue just before the game and was examined in the sideline medical tent.
Immediately after the match started, he walked off the field with team trainers and the club announced that he had left sick.
Harbaugh said he was given an IV by paramedics and given a magnesium pill before returning to the sideline midway through the first quarter.
Jim Harbaugh was taken to the blue medical tent before the Chargers kicked off Sunday
The 60-year-old coach was then walked back to the dressing room for further checks
This was the second time Harbaugh suffered an arrhythmia during a game. The other came on November 19, 2012 when he coached the San Francisco 49ers during a 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears.
“I’ve had a couple of ablations — one in 1999 and one in 2012,” Harbaugh said of a procedure that treats irregular heart rhythms.
‘I always remember the one from 2012. It was during the Monday Night game. Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers against the Chicago Bears and Colin had a great night.”
Harbaugh said he would see his cardiologist on Monday.
After saying, “I noticed there were some irregular strokes,” Harbaugh joked, “I’m medically qualified to talk about it.”
He then added that he is now “2-0 with cardiac arrhythmias.”
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter served as head coach while Harbaugh was away.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said he had no idea Harbaugh left the field or had a heart problem.
Harbaugh revealed after the Denver game that he suffered an ‘atrial flutter’ before kickoff
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Jim’s older brother, was pulled from his post-game press conference because of the situation.
The Chargers (3-2) spent much of the afternoon looking like they would hand the Broncos (3-3) their first home shutout in their 65-year history.
But after two turnovers and five punts, Bo Nix sent the Broncos on a 95-yard scoring drive, capped by his two-yard pass to fellow Oregon alum Troy Franklin early in the fourth quarter.
Then Courtland Sutton made a diving 15-yard touchdown grab with 5:22 to go, but a failed two-point attempt left the deficit in double digits.
The Broncos reached the Chargers 32 on their next possession and Wil Lutz’s 40-yard field goal on first down made it 23-16 with 59 seconds left.
However, their offside game backfired and the Chargers won their first win over Denver in two years and their first against Sean Payton in seven tries.