Baltimore Ravens need to prioritize character this offseason
Jan 3, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (15) during the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2014 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Missouri won 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way now. I think a vast majority of the Baltimore Ravens’ roster is full of high character guys who make a difference in the community. There are a small contingent of knuckleheads who made headlines last year, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Ravens remain one of the steadiest and most well-regarded franchises in the league.
That said, the Ravens can’t deal with more public relations nightmares. They can’t have multiple arrests in the offseason, or their business will start to suffer. Advertisers will leave, some fans will stop buying tickets and the Ravens won’t be as good of a television draw as they once were, regardless of their skill level.
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So let’s take Dorial Green-Beckham off the Ravens’ draft board right now. I don’t care how talented he is, there are plenty of talented receivers without the baggage in this draft. Between a rumored burglary and assault and the numerous drug violations, the Ravens should take a hard pass on him.
There are undoubtedly other prospects in the draft with character concerns, albeit none as well publicized as DGB’s or Jameis Winston’s. Well known or not, for this year especially, the Ravens need to tread lightly with potential issues.
That goes for free agents too.
A few days ago, I wrote about how the Ravens should jump at the chance to sign Brandon Marshall if he is cut. I stand by that for the most part, albeit with one big caveat: the Ravens need to double and triple check that Marshall’s off-the-field issues are behind him. They seem to be, though the Chicago Sun Times tore into him a couple of days ago. Among a long list describing what writer Rick Morrissey does not want from Marshall:
"I don’t want him calling a news conference during the season to refute past domestic-abuse claims made by an ex-girlfriend. I don’t want him giving even the slightest impression that the victim is to blame."
That’s a little scary for the Ravens. They were accused of victim blaming with their now infamous tweet (since deleted): “Janay Palmer says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident.” Adding another accused victim blamer to the mix is risky from a business perspective, to say the least.
The Ravens are already on thin ice, and Terrence Cody’s recent legal troubles don’t help matters. Accordingly, the Ravens absolutely cannot afford to put significant resources into troubled players. Maybe bring in a guy on an easily terminated contract, but even that would be risky from a PR point of view.
As long as the Ravens rule with an iron fist, they should be able to weather this still raging storm. As John Harbaugh said, “The threshold of tolerance has changed.” That should especially be true for the Ravens. From a business perspective, there has never been a more important offseason in franchise history.