On Jed York and False Accountability

After listening to the 17-plus minute palaver between the ‘vaguely hostile’ Brian Murphy of the Murph and Mac show and 49ers’ CEO Jed York, I became nauseated as an unsettling truth ruthlessly attacked my innards: no matter how many times York appears on talk shows and speaks of accountability, the reality is that he will not listen to fans’ gripes, and that a high-brow attitude of “see if I care” will always be his mentality behind-closed-doors.

Do we really think York, with all his power and might, cares what the fan thinks?

When Murphy asked York “what can we do, as fans, to hold you accountable?,” I nearly fell from my chair, as the answer was blatantly obvious: You see, York is in an exalted position that involves trusting your instincts instead of letting your plight be guided by extraneous voices in your ear. If York listens to the cries of his fan base, then he’s admitting failure and showing incompetence and a lack of personal faith in his decision-making. He eschews the fan, because why listen when he’s the King and we’re the subjects, loyal to the sport of football that we hold close to our hearts?

Take the worst-best stadium in the world, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, for example.

Did York create the stadium with fans in mind? No, he erected a corporate mega-structure that serves as a homage to past success while gouging the blue-collar man of his monthly wages for a nosebleed ticket. There’s Yahoo! and Cisco to appease, but not the state worker who has followed the 49ers well before the young upstarts at the aforementioned businesses were beyond the baby bottle. Creating a stadium that would rival the cacophony seen every Sunday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle was the most important task surrounding the building of Levi’s Stadium. A huge miss by York, and every Seahawks’ fan will echo my sentiment.

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York’s unrealistic standards and lack of control over his employees has created a potential long-term disaster for the franchise. While the blanket statement of “Super Bowl or bust” should be every owner’s mantra, most Elder Statesmen overseeing their respective organization can accurately pinpoint what aids progress towards this lofty goal and what does not. York speaks of accountability while citing ‘philosophical differences’ and ‘winning with class’ as reasons for Harbaugh’s parting.

What happens behind-the-scenes is knowledge I do not possess. But I will say this: in his four years as Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers, did Harbaugh come off as a man without philosophical integrity? The answer, as we all know, is a strong no. Harbaugh defines integrity, while York sidesteps direct hits, leaving the fallout for the ‘next man up.’ Tiptoeing around questions regarding early season leaks shows that you’re far from understanding the true pulse of the locker room. The players loved Harbaugh because he was honest. Can we say the same about you?

Here’s how to hold York accountable: Give him three years to win a ring. If not, stop purchasing tickets. This entire situation could have been avoided and York’s slowly deflating resume will always be marred by “what if we had Jim Harbaugh still” talk. Fine by me.

Your foresight is limited, Jed, as is your window for success. Good luck.

Next: Assessing Carlos Hyde and the 49ers' Rushing Attack