Jamison Hensley was Wrong to Call Out Harbaugh for Calling out Belichick

If you aren't a sports freak like myself (I prefer aficionado, for the record), you may have missed this story on ESPN earlier today.

 

Seriously?

Jamison Hensley, the blogger responsible for covering AFC North-related news on ESPN.com, took a quote from Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh's 98 Rock interview this morning and effectively spun it into a national scandal.
Coach Harbaugh appeared on the local radio program in order to promote this weekend's Fiesta 5k to support ALS research, where Ravens icon O.J. Brigance will serve as honorary chair. Regardless of this event's relation to Harbaugh's "controversial" statements, Hensley should have, at least, taken a short break from chastising the coach and mentioned the 5k for ALS. After all, it was the platform on which Harbaugh was able to deliver such scathing comments.  Below is the quote pulled by Hensley for the purpose of his article.

"In the end, everything is brought before the light of day, when it’s all said and done,” Harbaugh told 97.9 FM in Baltimore. “What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now. It’s been stained." 

First of all, if there's any coach in the NFL who is fair game for criticism, it's this guy:

Here is Hensley's "unbiased" response, just chock full of journalistic integrity:

"This shows a lack of loyalty on Harbaugh's part. Some people in the Ravens organization believe that Belichick played a key role in Harbaugh's becoming the Ravens' head coach. After the Ravens fired coach Brian Billick in 2009, owner Steve Bisciotti called Belichick to ask him about Harbaugh, who was considered the dark horse in the team's coaching search. Belichick spoke glowingly of Harbaugh, who share similar backgrounds. Belichick's coaching roots also started on special teams.

If someone gives you an important pat on the back, why would you punch him in the gut? The Patriots' championships could very well be "stained" for many people, but this quote stands out as a black eye for Harbaugh."

I'm sorry, their championships "could very well be stained?" No, Jamison, they are stained, and you can't pretend to believe that they aren't while keeping a straight face. And that's precisely what Harbaugh was saying. In the public eye, scandals like "spygate" and "bountygate" skew the public's perception of the legitimacy of championships, whether the scandals had an impact on the field or not. 

Hensley's mental image of Harbaugh

After the typically sensationalist media inflated this story from local side-note to apocalyptic declaration of war, Harbaugh had no choice but to issue a press release. Here's what Harbaugh had to say:

"While on the 98 Rock show this morning to talk about the run to honor O.J. Brigance and raise funds for ALS research, I answered a question about playing within the rules and referred to the perception that the Super Bowl championships won by the Patriots and Saints have a stain. My reference was to the perception out there that came as the result of the league's actions.

The original tweet indicated I pointed the finger at Bill Belichick and mentioned Bill's name. I did not. I have so much respect for Coach Belichick and the job he does and has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career. I called him to remind him of my respect for him. I also reached out to Tedy Bruschi, who rightfully defended those Patriot players and coaches on ESPN, to tell him that I agree with him that the Patriots earned every victory."

Harbaugh reiterated why he was on the show in the first place and then, and this is my favorite part, explained why the Ravens play by the rules and care about the public perception of their organization. Hensley's response? Well, that's all well and good but we're going to do our best to smudge that clean public image a bit for you. Look back at the original quote used in Hensley's article... Harbaugh never uttered the words, "Bill Belichick." 

If anyone should have to go out of their way to apologize in the public forum, it should be Hensley, who, lest we forget, covered our Ravens for The Baltimore Sun. I wonder if that job helped him become the AFC North blogger for ESPN.

Hey Jamison, quick question: If someone gives you an important pat on the back, why would you punch him in the gut?