When the Baltimore Ravens lost Ed Reed to the Houston Texans and released Bernard Pollard, speculation immediately turned to their roles in the near mutiny that came via a closed-door team meeting back on Halloween.
Safeties Reed and Pollard openly challenged John Harbaugh's decision to practice in full pads that day, according to a Yahoo! Sports report. The end result was described as a "big group-therapy session" which Harbaugh handled in "amazing" fashion.
Pollard recently told KILT-AM in Houston there is "no truth at all" to the mutiny story, adding he was "offended" by Harbaugh's handling of the reports.
The word "mutiny" drew plenty of headlines. Pollard maintains Harbaugh simply "opened up the floor" and a healthy discussion ensued. He wonders why Harbaugh hasn't bothered to set the record straight.
"I'm offended by that, because we walked away from that situation thinking, 'OK, everybody's on the same page. We're all good,'" Pollard said. "Like I said, I'm just a little offended that the coach never stepped up and said anything."
Harbaugh's relationship with Reed "just blossomed," according to the coach, and the two remain "very close" despite the future Hall of Famer's departure.
The same can't be said for Harbaugh's relationship with Pollard, who apparently still harbors a grudge. The Ravens freed up $1 million in salary-cap space through Pollard's release. Perhaps more importantly, they got rid of a potential clash between coach and player in 2013.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
