James Harbaugh Jr. had kept something important to himself for a long time. Then came a night in November 2016 that changed everything.

"The first time I talked to my dad about it was after the (2016) election. The night of, it was like 2 a.m. I had been crying, and I told him I was really nervous and scared of how things were going to be now, as I didn't feel comfortable," James Jr. said in the Boston-based Two Outs podcast.

James Jr. is one of Jim Harbaugh's seven children and was 21 years old at the time. He appeared on the Boston-based Two Outs podcast with WEEI's Alex Reimer and the Boston Globe's Steve Buckley in October 2017 and opened up about the moment he finally told his father he was gay.

"He [Jim Harbaugh] said something very encouraging back, and I wasn't sure; he and I had never talked about it, so I just flat out verbatim, for the first time, told him 'Dad, I'm gay, do you know that?'" James Jr. added on the Boston-based Two Outs podcast.

That first encouraging response gave James Jr. the courage to say the thing he had never said out loud to his father before. Jim Harbaugh did not miss a beat. He just told him what he needed to hear.

"He said something back again, another encouraging (response), that 'you need to keep your head up, as long as you do what you feel is right in your mind and live your truth (then) everything will be OK,'" James Jr. said.

That hit James hard. He said it meant everything to him. He felt lucky that his entire family was so supportive of him.

The fact that James Jr. described the moment as one he had been carrying alone for a long time makes Jim's response even more meaningful. He did not hesitate, did not make it complicated. He just told his son to live his truth.

Jim Harbaugh has always been someone his family trusts

The way Jim handled that moment with his son fits the way people who have been around him describe him.

James Jr. credited his father for even getting him into the theater in the first place. Back in 2009, when Jim was coaching at Stanford, he took the family to see Wicked in San Francisco. James Jr. said he was blown away and that it changed what he wanted to do with his life.

He also joked about his father's famous khakis on the podcast, saying the wardrobe choices were legendary around the house, too.

"Oh, God," James Jr. said on the same podcast, per the Detroit News. "They're hideous."

It is a small detail, but it points to something real. Their relationship was warm enough that James Jr. could laugh about his dad's clothes and also trust him with something as personal as coming out.

What do you think about Jim Harbaugh's response to his son coming out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore