Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he didn’t know quarterback Lamar Jackson was planning to reveal the nature and severity of his knee injury.
“I didn’t know anything about that,” Harbaugh said. “Haven’t paid much attention to it.”
Harbaugh said Friday he didn’t want to share conversations with any player. When asked if Jackson could be available for a potential divisional playoff game next week, Harbaugh stayed on message.
“I can’t know,” he said.
Most didn’t know the exact challenge facing Jackson in his bid to play for the first time since Dec. 4.
That was until Jackson posted a detailed statement outlining his injury, progress and game status on social media. It was in stark contrast to Harbaugh’s deliberately evasive responses the past six weeks regarding when the MVP quarterback might play again.
“Here’s the thing. You don’t know. … That’s how injuries work,” Harbaugh said. “You get asked about injuries all the time. I’m always hopeful guys can come back quicker from an injury. I can’t know. I don’t know. What I’m thinking about right now is this game.”
While the Ravens are prepping for the wild-card playoff game Sunday night at Cincinnati, Jackson said he’s fighting just to practice.
“That’s the thing, it’s not something that we can comment on,” Harbaugh said. “The nature of an injury specifically, the only one that can comment on that is the person (with the injury). There’s laws around that. We’re educated by the league in terms of what we’re allowed to say and not allowed to say.”
Jackson said his grade 2 posterior cruciate ligament sprain was “on the borderline” of a grade 3.
“There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable,” Jackson wrote. “I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery.
“I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans. I’m still hopeful we still have a chance.”
Tyler Huntley is pegged to start for Baltimore and face Cincinnati for the second time in seven days.
He stepped in for Jackson in the first quarter of the Dec. 4 game against the Denver Broncos and started the four subsequent games, including the Week 18 loss to the Bengals.
The Ravens beat the Broncos, 10-9, in their Week 13 game and haven’t cleared 17 points since losing Jackson.
–Field Level Media