John Harbaugh was fired from the 18-year job he had with the Baltimore Ravens the same way a teenager may execute a high school breakup: with a phone call.
Harbaugh, who won Super Bowl XLVII with the team and guided them to countless playoff appearances, was let go after missing the postseason in dramatic fashion.
The Ravens drove down the field with time expiring against the arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 with the AFC North title on the line.
Unfortunately for fans in Baltimore, kicker Tyler Loop pushed his kick too far right and the Steelers held on to play at least one more weekend in January.
Two days after the season ended, Harbaugh was axed by team owner Steve Bisciotti.
According to The Athletic, the coach was driving home from the team’s practice facility when Bisciotti called him to let him know he was fired.
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh found out he was fired via a phone call
Owner Steve Bisciotti phoned him as he was driving home from the team’s practice facility
Harbaugh had a Monday meeting with general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and team president Sashi Brown on Monday, according to the outlet. The meeting ended with the issue of Harbaugh continuing his tenure in Baltimore ‘unsettled’.
Earlier in the day, the coach held one final team meeting for the season. Players reportedly left the conference believing Harbaugh would be back – only for him to be fired the next day.Â
‘Well, I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today,’ Harbaugh said in a statement on Tuesday.Â
‘It comes with disappointment certainly, but more with gratitude and appreciation.
‘Gratitude to the owner and organization who was willing to bring in a head coach who made his mark with special teams success. A difficult thing to do. And appreciation for all the moments, all these years, that are etched into eternity. I hope a legacy built on faith, always fighting, always believing.’
Bisciotti released a statement announcing what he called ‘an incredibly difficult decision’.Â
‘Following a comprehensive evaluation of the season and the overall direction of our organization, I decided to make a change at head coach,’ he said on Tuesday. ‘Today I informed John that he has been relieved of his duties.
Since his firing, Harbaugh’s name has been atop the list for available coaches
‘This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity. …Our goal has always been and will always be to win championships.Â
‘We strive to consistently perform at the highest level on the field and be a team and organization our fans take pride in.’
Immediately after he was canned, Harbaugh’s name became the most significant inclusion on the coaching market.
Already, he’s received interest from the Giants, Raiders, Dolphins, Titans and Browns among others.
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Inside the Baltimore Ravens’ brutal firing of head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons