John Harbaugh unhappy with arrests

ByJAMISON HENSLEY
March 25, 2014, 10:18 AM

— -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh strongly expressed his displeasure over having three players arrested in a month.

Running back Ray Rice was arrested for simple assault on Feb. 15, backup wide receiver Deonte Thompson was arrested for possession of marijuana on Feb. 21 and backup offensive lineman Jah Reid was arrested on two misdemeanor charges of battery after a bar fight on March 9.

"It's unacceptable. It's disappointing," Harbaugh said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. "But you also separate the person from the activity, and redemption is something that we think is important as well.

"If there is ever a point in time when we feel that person has lost value for our team, starting with football or because of their character, then you move on from those guys. But those guys aren't to that point."

Harbaugh reaffirmed his support for Rice, who was arrested and charged with simple assault-domestic violence after a physical altercation with his fiancée at a casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

"He will be part of our team," Harbaugh said. "He's a person of character. The thing that's really important is to be able to support the person without condoning the action.

"He makes a mistake. There's no justifying what happened. When you drink too much in public, those kind of things happen."

Harbaugh said Thompson and Reid put themselves in bad situations as well.

"You can't get drunk at a bar," He said. "You just can't do it. You're not a kid anymore, and you've got responsibilities not just to yourself but your family and your organization, your teammates. It's unacceptable. You can't be riding around in a car with marijuana in your bag. I don't care what your excuse or your reason is for it.

"Those are the core issues that those guys had. We address them with those guys directly."