Even after being placed on injured reserve, the severity of Breshad Perriman’s injury remains a mystery. What was initially diagnosed as a bruise, then revealed as a sprain afterward, and later re-aggravated has been one of the biggest in a season filled with disappointments. Aside from the obvious misfortune of the Ravens’ 1st round pick missing an entire season, the worst part about the entire situation is how the Ravens continue to butcher how they have handled the situation publicly.
When asked if Perriman’s injury was degenerative or would have any long term effects Harbaugh was hopeful but not definitive, which has been the case throughout the process.
“Not that I’ve been told,” Harbaugh said according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “To me, it’s still a hard one to understand. There are better people to ask than me about that. I’m just disappointed.”
There are better people to ask? Who?
At what point can fans and media have the opportunity to speak with those people? The last time I checked the head coach was the only person who communicates with fans and media about injuries. At some point, will there be a press conference with the Ravens’ team doctors?
When asked whether Perriman would require any further surgeries Harbaugh gave another vague response. “To my knowledge, he doesn’t.”
Is there someone else with more knowledge than Harbaugh on the situation? Does Harbaugh never speak to that person or communicate with team doctors?
Why at this point do the Ravens refuse to clearly communicate what’s going on with Perriman? Typically coaches are mum on injuries in their press conferences, but that’s only because they don’t want to show their hand and give opposing teams any sort of advantage. Which was mostly irrelevant before and completely meaningless now that Perriman has been placed on IR. Yet the Ravens continue to dance around questions and provide foggy answers.
Perriman is the person whom has been harmed most by the Ravens’ indefinite answers to questions about his injuries. Fans have now labeled him as “soft” or a “bust.”
If the Ravens had been forthright from day one, that wouldn’t be the case. No one is questioning the toughness of Bears rookie wide receiver Kevin White, who has played just as many snaps as Perriman. The Bears didn’t make fans or media play a guessing game when it came to his injury. They were upfront from day one.
Harbaugh did little today to soothe the nerves of fans regarding Perriman’s long term future, and he probably doesn’t care. It isn’t at the top of his list of priorities. I don’t blame him, but he is doing Perriman a serious disservice by being continuously vague.