As the Ravens cleaned out their lockers and met one last time before going their separate ways this offseason, John Harbaugh had a clear message for his players. After a year filled with arrests, suspensions and turmoil he made it clear that the tolerance level had changed regarding such issues.
“That’s something that they need to understand, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a privilege to play in the National Football League. It’s a privilege to be a part of the Ravens. There’s a standard to uphold there, and we expect them to do that. We’ve always expected them to do that. But I would think that it will be a little bit shorter leeway, maybe then it’s been in the past.”
Football season is not even officially over yet, and the Ravens have already had to deal with two such issues. It was a curious move when they suddenly parted ways with Terrence Cody last week. Not because they were expected to re-sign him, but it was a surprising move because they weren’t. Cody was an unrestricted free agent and after several disappointing seasons it was more or less known the Ravens would move on, so why cut him rather than just not resign him once he became a free agent in March? When allegations of animal cruelty surfaced, that question was answered and it was obvious the organization wanted to separate themselves from him as soon as possible.
The Ravens face a much tougher dilemma when it comes to Will Hill. The Ravens signed Hill this past offseason knowing his past issues and that he wouldn’t be able to contribute for the first six games. The Giants cut Hill after several off-the-field incidents and suspensions despite the fact that he had elite talent and was actually a top ranked free safety by Pro Football Focus. The Ravens took a chance and up until a few days ago it looked like their gamble was paying off.
Yesterday news surfaced that Hill has a warrant out for his arrest for alleged failure to pay over $16,000 in back child support. When reached for comment Hill said he was aware of the domestic issue but had no knowledge of a warrant for his arrest.
So what do the Ravens do?
In years past this likely would have not been a reason for the Ravens to part ways with a player, especially a guy who made an impact at a position of need for the team. However, heading into 2015 that may not be the case. The Ravens again have a player dealing with a domestic issue, and while it may not even be in the same stratosphere as the Ray Rice case, it’s a sensitive issue nonetheless.
Cutting Terrence Cody was a no-brainer; the team likely had no intentions of retaining him and it was an easy opportunity for them to set an early precedent for the rest of the team. The Hill situation however is much different. If the Ravens move on from him they will weaken an already thin unit that was the team’s Achilles heel in 2014. They’ll need to once again find a ball hawking free safety and likely spend a draft pick or the limited cap space they have signing a free agent.
Considering the scrutiny and turmoil they faced this past year though, their smartest move might be to part ways with a player who has a checkered past. John Harbaugh said the threshold had changed; it won’t take too long to find out exactly how much.
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