May 2012 - Baltimore Ravens Wiretap
Several members of the Baltimore Ravens challenged John Harbaugh's decision to practice in pads on the morning of Halloween. The Ravens had 10 days earlier suffered a 43-13 defeat to the Texans.
Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard openly challenged Harbaugh for calling the practice.
Harbaugh welcomed the dialogue and asked for additional feedback.
The meeting then shifted toward Harbaugh's treatment of players.
"It was practically a mutiny," one Ravens player recalled. "It came very close to getting out of control. But the way Coach Harbaugh handled it was amazing. He let people have their say, and he listened, and he explained himself, and pretty soon it was like a big group-therapy session. In the end, a lot of positive things were said. We didn't practice in pads, but we came out of there stronger as a group."
The Ravens now have a 9-2 record.
"Well, I don't know about [being] secure enough or anything like that, but I think it's really important to let them be them," Harbaugh said. "And to me, the more I'm able to give them leadership, the stronger that we all are together, as leaders.
"I don't know how to put it in words, and maybe someday there'll be a way to express it, but we have such great leaders. You've got to let 'em lead, but you also have to lead 'em, you have to direct them, and someone's gotta make decisions. But, we've just got some incredibly strong men on this team. I mean I could tell you some stories, but I'd probably rather not."
"I've never seen a head coach handle anything like that as well as he did," said a Ravens assistant who attended the meeting. "There were some things said where we were like, Damn.
"A lot of coaches would have acted like dictators and been very sensitive about the way their authority was being questioned. John said, 'Hey, let's talk about this.' He showed great leadership. Instead of worrying that it would make him seem weak, he turned it into a strength."
