Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he didn’t know quarterback Lamar Jackson was planning to reveal the nature and severity of his knee injury.
“I didn’t know anything about that,” Harbaugh said. “Haven’t paid much attention to it.”
Jackson was officially ruled out by the Ravens on Friday.
Harbaugh said Friday he didn’t want to share private conversations with any player. When asked if Jackson could be available for a potential divisional playoff game next week, Harbaugh stayed on message.
“I can’t know,” he said.
Most didn’t know the exact challenge facing Jackson in his bid to play for the first time since Dec. 4.
That was until Jackson posted a detailed statement outlining his injury, progress and game status on social media Thursday night. It was in stark contrast to Harbaugh’s deliberately evasive responses the past six weeks regarding when the MVP quarterback might play again.
“Here’s the thing. You don’t know. … That’s how injuries work,” Harbaugh said. “You get asked about injuries all the time. I’m always hopeful guys can come back quicker from an injury. I can’t know. I don’t know. What I’m thinking about right now is this game.”
While the Ravens are prepping for the wild-card playoff game Sunday night at Cincinnati, Jackson said he’s fighting just to practice.
“That’s the thing, it’s not something that we can comment on,” Harbaugh said. “The nature of an injury specifically, the only one that can comment on that is the person (with the injury). There’s laws around that. We’re educated by the league in terms of what we’re allowed to say and not allowed to say.”
Jackson said his grade 2 posterior cruciate ligament sprain was “on the borderline” of a grade 3.
“There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable,” Jackson wrote. “I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery.
“I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans. I’m still hopeful we still have a chance.”
Tyler Huntley is pegged to start for Baltimore, which faces Cincinnati for the second time in a week.
He stepped in for Jackson in the first quarter of the Dec. 4 game against the Denver Broncos and started the four subsequent games.
He missed the Week 18 loss to the Bengals with a shoulder injury; Anthony Brown started in his place. Huntley was limited to start the week and is listed as questionable but said Friday he plans to take the field as Baltimore seeks to unseat their division rival.
The Ravens beat the Broncos, 10-9, in their Week 13 game and haven’t cleared 17 points since losing Jackson.
–Field Level Media
