The Baltimore Ravens have a rocky relationship with the NFL rulebook, and Wednesday’s developments certainly won’t mend any fences.
The NFL has fined the Ravens $200,000 for “violations of the coach-to-player communications policy” during this year’s preseason games, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Per Rapoport, Baltimore had multiple players on the field at the same time who were wearing helmets with coach-to-player communication systems in them. League rules allow for just one player on either side of the ball — usually a quarterback on offense and linebacker or safety on defense — to be on the field with the special helmets, which are marked with a green sticker.
The Ravens released a statement claiming they were unaware of their infraction.
It’s unclear which two players were on the field at the same time, and these were preseason games, so the violation ultimately didn’t matter much. But this certainly isn’t Baltimore’s first run-in with NFL law.
The team was forced to cancel organized team activities in 2016 after it allowed rookies to wear full pads in minicamp, which violates the league’s collective bargaining agreement. It broke the rules again this summer, incurring a total of $150,000 in fines for reportedly allowing too much contact during OTAs.
Ironically, the Ravens also have griped about other teams violating rules on several occasions, twice singling out the New England Patriots. But head coach John Harbaugh’s club finds itself on the wrong side of the rulebook again, and as a repeat offender, it’s paying a heavy price.
