Jim Harbaugh misses part of Chargers' win over Broncos for treatment of irregular heartbeat

DENVER (AP) — Jim Harbaugh listened to his heart when he began to feel a little bit off in pregame warmups.

The Los Angeles Chargers coach went into the medical tent and then to the locker room in the first quarter Sunday to get checked out for an irregular heartbeat. An EKG showed his heart was back in normal rhythm and he returned to the sideline with his team already up 3-0.

His team didn't miss a beat in a 23-16 win over the Denver Broncos. In fact, his quarterback, Justin Herbert, didn't even know he wasn't on the sideline. His brother sure did, as Baltimore coach John Harbaugh cut short his postgame news conference after a win over Washington to check in on his brother.

“Everything ended up turning out to be OK,” said Jim Harbaugh, who received IV fluids. ”The doctors checked me out, and it got back into normal rhythm. So came back.

“It’s the heart so you take it seriously.”

For quite a while, Harbaugh said he's dealt with atrial flutter, a condition that can cause the heart to beat too quickly. He had an ablation procedure in 1999 to treat the irregular heart rhythms. He also had another one in 2012 when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers. He vividly remembers that procedure because it was after a Monday night game where Colin Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears.

Harbaugh said he hadn't really experienced another episode until this weekend.

“I started feeling it last night, but wasn't really sure,” Harbaugh said. “Just like in 2012, it was during the pregame warmups — I kind of started feeling.”

Harbaugh tried to interject some humor — “2-0 in arrhythmias,” he cracked.

Herbert was caught off guard by the news that his coach had left the sideline — or that anything was amiss. Although, he said Harbaugh mentioned something about his health Saturday night.

“He said he was really excited for the game. He said his blood was flowing and he was excited,” said Herbert, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. “I thought everything was good to go. That’s definitely something he should get checked out. He’s a tough guy, though.”

Harbaugh said that when he was in the locker room, the medical staff took his pulse and conducted an EKG.

“Trust the doctors. If you’re not going to trust your doctors, who are you gonna trust?” he said. "Came back in to the locker room, and the paramedics came, got an EKG and said it was back to the sinus (normal) rhythm, and I said, ‘I feel good.’ I went back out there on the field.”

Harbaugh plans to follow up with his cardiologist on Monday.

When he left the sideline as the game started, the Chargers described his absence as an illness. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter took over until Harbaugh returned midway through the first quarter with the Chargers ahead 3-0 and driving toward another score. The Chargers jumped out to a 23-0 lead in the second half before the Broncos made a late surge.

“It was a great and glorious win for the team,” Harbaugh said. “Really proud of our team, pleased. They’re playing good football, offense, defense and special teams, four quarters of it.

"I felt great about that.”

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, center, stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh responds to a question during news conference after defeating the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh responds to a question during news conference after defeating the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh gestures to the crowd as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh responds to a question during news conference after defeating the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) stands with trainers after sustaining an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh stands in a tunnel with players before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany on Saturday was still in shock and struggling to understand the suspect behind the attack in the city of Magdeburg.

Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he has been living in Germany for two decades. He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening, killing at least five people and wounding about 200 others.

Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.

Taleb’s X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.

He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”

He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers.

Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar."

On Saturday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”

A German-based organization called Athiest Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not a part of the group and claimed that he made “numerous accusations and claims” against it and former board members, which it said were false.

“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest terms," the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal complaint against him in 2019 following “the most foul slander and verbal attacks."

An image taken from a video shows police officers arresting a suspect after car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (TNN/DPA via AP)

A person stands by flowers and candles placed outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)