Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh Defends Ray Rice Handling
BALTIMORE (WJZ) – More Ravens controversy after an ESPN article makes several shocking allegations against the NFL and Ravens management.
Coach Harbaugh spoke briefly about those allegations after his team beat the Cleveland Browns.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on what he had to say.
Ravens fans say it's time for everyone to come clean. The Ravens are already calling the report full of inaccuracies and Coach Harbaugh is calling the way this has been handled the right thing to do.
A scathing report by ESPN is turning up the heat on the NFL after it claims the Ravens were well aware of the elevator punch Ray Rice dealt his then-fiancée, Janay.
According to the report: "Rice's attorney told Ravens President Dick Cass the elevator video was 'horrible' yet the team never asked to see a copy."
"We do believe that the fans and people of Baltimore do need to hear our side of the story," said Kevin Byrne, Senior Vice President of Public and Community Relations.
After beating the Browns, Coach Harbaugh addressed such claims by ESPN that he wanted to cut Ray Rice immediately after the first video.
"The way we handled it all the way through I felt like was the right way to handle it all the way through. I felt like we did the right thing, and I stand behind it," Harbaugh said.
The coach says he will answer more questions Monday after the ESPN allegations, but says he, Goodell, Bisciotti, Cass and Ozzie stand shoulder to shoulder.
"Every single football decision we make, we work together. Just like every football decision. You get together, you hash it out," said Harbaugh. "Ozzie uses the term scrimmaging. You scrimmage it out, everybody's got their opinions. It's not black and white. It's never nuanced on anything. That decision was exactly like all the other ones."
Though the controversy continues to heat up, some fans say they are ready for it to cool off.
"I think it's an important issue, but I don't think it's something that needs to be labored over," one fan said.
Fans say they won't turn their backs on the team, but they want better representation.
"I don't want somebody to embarrass themselves, I don't want them to embarrass their team and I certainly don't want our town to look like we represent that kind of persona and that kind of attitude," another Ravens fan said.
The Ravens are expected to answer more questions Monday about the ESPN article.
The NFL Players Association has since filed an appeal on the indefinite suspension of Ray Rice.
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