Harbaugh: Eugene Monroe decision was '100 percent football'
It was all just a big coincidence, really.
When Eugene Monroe tweeted his dissatisfaction over the Baltimore Ravens distancing themselves from his cause, of pushing the NFL to let players use marijuana as a painkiller instead of more dangerous drugs, it just happened that the Ravens had already planned to cut the tackle. The team simply figured out, in the middle of June, that Monroe had an injury history. And the Ravens must have realized, almost two months after drafting Ronnie Stanley, that Monroe wasn’t needed anymore. And then the Ravens just had to dump him by the artificial deadline of Wednesday, not waiting any longer on trade talks.
A big coincidence, you see. Just ask Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
“Football circumstances changed, from the end of the season until now,” Harbaugh said. “Football circumstances. 100 percent football circumstances. That’s it. That’s all it ever was.”
Of course. Football circumstances. Nothing more to it.
Monroe wondered aloud to The New York Times if his marijuana advocacy had anything to do with his release, but he obviously didn’t pay attention when Harbaugh told everyone is was just 100 percent football circumstances.
“I can’t say for sure whether or not my stance on medical cannabis was the reason the Ravens released me,” Monroe told The Times. “However, as I’ve said in the past, they have distanced themselves from me and made it clear that they do not support my advocacy.”
It was probably just another coincidence that Monroe made it a point to say, right after he was cut, that he still planned to speak out about the marijuana issue.
“Despite the current uncertainties, one thing is for sure: whatever happens in terms of my professional football career, I will never stop pushing for the League to accept medical cannabis as a vialble option for pain management,” Monroe said, in part, on Twitter.
Harbaugh lashed out against speculation that has “no basis in fact or reality whatsoever” when addressing the release of Monroe. He talked about how the Ravens have always allowed players to be outspoken, going all the way back to the days of the Cleveland Browns with “Art Modell and Jim Brown.”
“This organization has always been very forward thinking, very open, very in front of all kinds of issues and have always allowed their players to speak out, speak their mind, be who they are,” Harbaugh said.
Monroe will likely latch on with another team. Harbaugh made it a point to say he knows Monroe will sign elsewhere soon and that he’s an excellent football player, which might lead one to wonder why the Ravens would cut someone they liked so much as a player. But anyway, the New York Giants already let it be known that Monroe’s stance on marijuana doesn’t bother them. The marijuana advocacy, of course, was no factor in the Ravens’ decision but Giants coach Ben McAdoo just wanted to get it off his chest that it isn’t a problem with them.
“I think everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” McAdoo said, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. “Myself, I haven’t done any research. I don’t have a great answer for you there. That’s probably more of a political question, something that I’m not necessarily willing to jump into at this point — or ever. But every player, every coach, every person has their own opinion and is entitled to it.”
So clearly there’s nothing more to the story of why Monroe was cut. Just football circumstances. 100 percent.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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