The Baltimore Ravens' offseason practice schedule just got shorter.
The NFL and the Ravens announced Thursday that the team will forfeit one week of organized team activities from June 1-3 for violating offseason workout rules under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. In addition, the Ravens were fined $343,057 and coach John Harbaugh was fined $137,223 by the NFL for the violations, league sources told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
Each NFL team is allowed 10 OTA sessions in the offseason. The Ravens will be without three of them, but will still have all of mandatory minicamp and training camp sessions.
"We made a mistake and we are sorry for that. We accept the NFL discipline," the Ravens said in a statement.
The NFL investigated the Ravens for using full pads at a session during their rookie minicamp earlier in May. The Ravens also had to cancel a week of workouts in 2010 for violating rules under the previous CBA.
Harbaugh said he accepts complete responsibility for the violation that led to the team being disciplined.
"It's what they decided was appropriate," Harbaugh said during a news conference Thursday. "We'll respect that. The only thing I can say about that is the same thing I told the players. And I told the players there is not one guy in the room, coaches the same thing, there's not one player or one coach in this room that should worry about it for one second, should (not) have any anxiety about it cause it's on me. It's completely me. It was my decision, my effort and that's the situation that we're in."
Harbaugh has been a vocal opponent of offseason rules, calling them "un-American." Rapoport previously reported through league sources that the NFL believed the Ravens knew the rules and tried to take advantage. Ravens sources told Rapoport that they took the pads off once they realized they made a mistake concerning the rules.
"In some ways, maybe the rest would be good for us," Harbaugh said. "Kind of the way I look at it. I told the guys I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't afford giving our guys some time off after all the six weeks of hard work. Maybe the good Lord is looking down and giving us what we need right now."
