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          NFL Nation

          Ravens not getting away from Rice fallout

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterSep 15, 2014, 06:00 PM ET
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he doesn’t believe the team is going to be able to move past the Ray Rice situation anytime soon, even though it cut ties with the Pro Bowl running back a week ago.

          "We’re probably not going to get away from it, and probably rightfully so,” Harbaugh said Monday. "Not just us, the league. Hopefully it impacts society in a good way going forward.”

          A Ravens spokesman told reporters before Harbaugh’s weekly news conference that questions regarding Rice could be asked but the team is trying to move on publicly from the Rice situation because an independent investigation has begun.

          Asked whether the investigation will take much of the Ravens' time, Harbaugh said, "I know nothing about that. That's not something that anybody has given me any kind of schedule or timetable on."

          The Ravens cut Rice last Monday just hours after TMZ released a video of the star running back punching his then-fiancée in a casino elevator. The team is holding a jersey exchange on Friday and Saturday, when fans can trade in their Rice No. 27 jersey for an available jersey of another Ravens player.

          Despite the media onslaught at the Ravens' facility last week, the Ravens evened their record at 1-1 by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-6 on Thursday night.

          "The point is to remember that we don’t get caught up in the swirl as much as you think,” Harbaugh said. "I thought our guys did a great job of handling the situation. They were able to compartmentalize the fact that they had to address a situation going on that was a deep-seated deal and has ramifications beyond sports. It’s a bigger issue than sports. It’s a societal issue. It’s a problem that is all across society and not just in our country."

          Harbaugh added, "It’s something that needs to be addressed. Historically, sports has been a catalyst for positive change, especially in this country over the years. That’s a good thing. If good can come out of that in some way and our players and our organization can be a part of that somehow, I would really embrace that."