SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Observed in the locker room after the San Francisco 49ers’ 38-35 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers at Levi’s Stadium:
It was silent as a wake in the 49ers’ locker room, players milling about and mumbling to no one in particular after inexplicably blowing a 28-7 halftime lead. The sense of finality to a lost season was evident at the locker of linebacker Dan Skuta, who took pictures with a young boy while holding his jersey and helmet aloft.
General manager Trent Baalke appeared in the locker room, patting the shoulders of Skuta, rookie center Marcus Martin, running back Frank Gore and linebacker Aldon Smith, who left the game with a head injury but returned. Baalke asked Smith how he was doing, and Smith said he would be fine.
Gore, as always, took the loss especially hard and milled about the locker room longer than usual. He went outside for a while and posed for pictures with Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris. And while New York Yankees third baseman/designated hitter Alex Rodriguez was on the sideline pregame, rocking a Gore jersey, he was not in the postgame locker room. Gore played his college ball at Miami, and Rodriguez is from Miami and works out in the Hurricanes’ facilities.
