ESPN's Ray Rice story

My opinion: The person who is the most to blame here is Newsome.

Dick, does Harbaugh get any redemption in your mind?

 

No. There's no way that he comes off well here. He either made statement after statement about how it was all OK because they were getting counseling, repeatedly parceling out equal amounts of blame on Ray and Janay. Or he wanted to release Rice, and instead went out and said all those things at his boss's bidding.

 

I had the opposite reaction. I saw someone who tried to take a stance, but was prevented by his boss and then went out and towed the company line convincingly.

I don't know that I would say it makes him look good, but I think it makes him look better.

 

I guess we might just have an opposing viewpoint on how we interpret such an action. Some might see being a good soldier like that as a good quality. I see it as, frankly, in this case, repugnant. He didn't just go out and say, "Ray has been a good guy, and he's made a terrible mistake. We will see how the situation plays out." He went out there, on multiple occasions, and said things that read like a "Saturday Night Live" skit about what a bunch of meathead NFL people would think about domestic violence and a woman's role in it. Things that he didn't even believe.

Circling back to the short notice: I remember once I had a story that was running the next day, and I did what I felt was the right thing, and contacted the coach and SID with lots of hours for them to respond before the story ran the next day. Total exclusive. A few hours later, at around 6 or 7, we get our response - a blast email to everybody on the beat's email list.

And that's why you don't give people time to respond.

 

No one from The Ravens leadership looks good at this point or deserves any
credit now for actions that should have been taken 7 months ago.

The correct action for Harbaugh would have been to resign on principle when he was not allowed to cut Rice

 

I wouldn't even go that far. I just would have liked to have seen him not go out and dance for his bosses like that. It was dishonorable.

 

That was the portion of the report I was most fascinated by because Harbaugh seemed so convincing in his support of Rice that I think all of us believed it.

I think we all would have stood and applauded if he resigned on principle, but it's easier said than done.

Nobody looks good, but Newsome looks worse and Harbaugh (at least to me), if he doesn't look better, I'm a little more sympathetic to him than I previously was.

I see both sides on this one. Dick makes very valid points.

 

I feel bad for the Ravens, who had no choice but to sit back and allow themselves to be baselessly besmirched for a whole two weeks after the Rice video was released.

It's a real shame someone forced them to not clear the air with the truth until 15 days later.

:

 

Which is why I asked what KVV thinks of Harbaugh now. If anyone knows Harbaugh inside and out, it's KVV with the amount of time he spent around the Ravens.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10012376/baltimore-ravens-head-coach-john-harbaugh-clocks-long-hours-prep-game-day-espn-magazine

And that's just one example.

 

A year ago, or even before the second SB win, if you polled NFL experts what the best run NFL franchise was, from ownership to GM to coach, there is a really good chance the Ravens would have been No. 1.

 

I have Hub Arkush's Pro Football Weekly preview here in my bag. It groups the franchises by category. The Ravens are in the top category, "The Elite," along with Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Seattle.

 

I'd have Pittsburgh on that list, but yeah, that's about right.