Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert returned to the team after skipping Phase 2 of its voluntary OTA workouts to support his girlfriend, singer Madison Beer, for the start of her “Locket Tour.”
While Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is “so excited” to have Herbert back, the 62-year-old coach also acknowledged he was “happy” to see Herbert take time to join Beer for the start of her tour in Poland.
“He told me he wasn’t gonna be here for those two weeks and my first reaction was, ‘Do you need a ride to the airport?'” Harbaugh told reporters during a May 27 news conference.
Harbaugh went on to laud Herbert for reciprocating the support Beer – a frequent attendee of the Chargers’ games – has given him during their relationship.
The third-year Chargers coach also spoke glowingly of Herbert’s work ethic and was glad to see him get an opportunity to enjoy “good balance.”
“He’s just been somebody that – he’s just here all the time,” Harbaugh said. “There’s times I’ve wanted to shoo him out of the building. He’s at every voluntary, every nonvoluntary workout. It’s the same guy that broke his hand and then the next day he was here practicing. The next game, stiff-arming guys. So, yeah, I was happy.”
Herbert is coming off a season during which he led the Chargers to an 11-5 record across 16 starts and completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He achieved that despite playing behind an offensive line that allowed him to be pressured a league-high 268 times, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Herbert will be hoping to improve those numbers behind a healthier blocking unit and under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
At the same time, Harbaugh appears to be embracing his life off the field a bit more. Not only did he attend Beer’s tour, but he also appeared in the music video for her single “lovergirl,” which shows the two cozying up to one another on the beach, sharing a photo booth and more during the course of the nearly three-and-a-half-minute song.
So, to Harbaugh’s point, it appears that Herbert is trying to work toward finding a balance in his life as he prepares for his seventh NFL season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Herbert skipping OTAs to support Madison Beer praised by Chargers coach