The Baltimore Ravens selected Mike Green late in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft despite film that would normally justify a first-round selection. While Baltimore has a knack for finding players that slip in the draft for no clear reason, it’s easy to see why Green was still on the board. The Marshall product is currently facing two sexual assault allegations, and, while the rookie maintains his innocence, these reports were enough for several teams to remove him from their draft boards, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Baltimore was clearly not one of these teams, and nobody denies Green’s ability to improve a defense when on the field. However, the selection itself spits in the face of comments head coach John Harbaugh made in 2022 about Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Given those old comments and the allegations surrounding kicker Justin Tucker, it’s hard to justify the selection of Mike Green, no matter how much he improves the Ravens defense.
John Harbaugh’s Hypocritical Comments Resurface Following Ravens Mike Green Selection
The Comments
Back in 2022, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson received a lengthy suspension for a long list of sexual assault accusations. When asked about the situation, Harbaugh spoke about how the Ravens handle situations like this, saying that the team employs a “zero tolerance” policy.
More Harbaugh regarding Watson suspension: "I respect what Steve Bisciotti and Dick Cass created here almost 10 years ago. Basically, what we decided [was] that we're kind of zero tolerance. We've stayed away from that particular situation. I'm glad we have that policy."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 1, 2022
This clearly isn’t the case. For the sake of liability, it’s important to re-emphasize that Mike Green has not been found guilty of anything. However, Green’s accusations were enough for teams to remove him from their draft board, and he only played at Marshall because Virginia suspended him. All teams sacrifice morality for wins to some extent, but selecting Green is not a good look for Harbaugh after he attempted to act high and mighty following the Watson suspension.
Not An Isolated Incident
Unfortunately, Mike Green is not the only controversial player on the Baltimore Ravens. Kicker Justin Tucker is under pressure after 10 Baltimore-area massage therapists have accused the seven-time Pro Bowler of inappropriate behavior. Despite the allegations, Tucker currently remains on the team. While these allegations only reached the public eye a few months ago, it’s hard to believe the Ravens weren’t aware of Tucker’s situation before then. After all, Reddit comments from two years ago allude to Tucker’s actions.
Last but certainly not least is the Ray Rice incident. While that incident is over a decade old, it remains one of the worst moments in franchise history. Baltimore originally stood by Rice after he physically assaulted his fiancée and only changed course once TMZ released the video to the public. John Harbaugh was the head coach at the time, and while he may claim to have improved as a person over the past decade, his actions don’t back that up.
If Mike Green can stay on the field, he will help the Baltimore Ravens win football games. However, selecting him when several teams decided his actions made him undraftable goes to show that the Ravens don’t care about morality if it comes at the expense of one or two wins.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
