‘Much ado about nothing’

Harbaugh downplays team’s brawl with Colts near end of second joint practice

WESTFIELD, IND. – The fight began, as most do, with an apparent misunderstanding.

On Saturday afternoon, midway through the second of the Ravens’ two joint practices with the host Indianapolis Colts, linebacker Albert McClellan lined up for a special teams drill. So did Colts linebacker Antonio Morrison.

The stakes were low. A “Monday Night Football” game was two days away. An hour separated the teams from the end of practice. On the play that defined a punchy practice, it seemed that other than the one-on-one matchups in the punt return drill, there was little to win or to lose.

Then McClellan and Morrison lost their cool. As the Ravens’ punt coverage team sprinted downfield on a kick by Sam Koch, the two could not, or would not, disengage. Morrison wanted to keep McClellan in front of him, by almost any means necessary. McClellan wanted to be left alone.

So he tossed Morrison to the ground. Morrison got up, his arms wrapped around McClellan. A singleleg takedown put Morrison on his behind again.

Then came the blows of a whistle and the blows of McClellan’s fists. With McClellan straddling the supine Morrison, he delivered a heavy right, seemingly oblivious to the fear of pain that might be inflicted on his own, now-helmetless head. McClellan appeared to throw another two punches before the teams converged in the middle of the field.

It took another 40 seconds for the Ravens and Colts to be separated, some of them more easily than others. Safety Tony Jefferson got into it with Indianapolis defensive end Chris McCain. Ravens cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste, one of the first to the fracas, threw a handful of punches. Preseason TV: Radio: