This could have all been avoided, of course, if only the Ravens had a leader capable of keeping grown men out of situations that grown men should be able to steer clear of on their own. ESPN analyst and former Ravens leader Ray Lewis can explain.
"We talk about the transition of losing so many guys, a guy like myself and Ed Reed and other guys that are based off leadership, I've said it earlier: 'Where would the leadership come from?' " Lewis said Monday night, according to the Baltimore Sun. "Because the leadership being strong in the locker room and winning games, listen talent sometimes can win you games. But when you talk about what’s going on off the field, that’s the most important place where leadership steps up.
“When you think about the Baltimore Ravens and the transition that they went through, they’re missing leadership right now. When you have an incident like that, the first thing a leader is going to do is find some way to dissolve everything that’s going on and actually dissolve it before it comes to that type of head or even gets to that point. When you talk about the Baltimore Ravens they’re going to have to refocus and find some quick leaders in that locker room very quickly."
In the absence of a locker room presence, Harbaugh is tasked with stating what should already be blindingly obvious.
"It's not something we want to be known for," he said. "I'd like to think it's not something that those guys would want to be known for. It's nothing to be proud of. I'm kind of disappointed in that sense."
Not sure it matters whether that message comes from a teammate or a coach; everybody knows that getting on a party bus with McKinnie and a stripper named Sweet Pea almost never ends well.
