Ravens’ Harbaugh defends his brother
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday he’s spoken to his brother, Jim Harbaugh, quite a bit, and he’s proud of how the Michigan coach has handled the sign-stealing scandal that put the program under investigation.
“His phones, his computers, and all that stuff have been looked at, and he’s come through this thing with flying colors,” John Harbaugh said. “I don’t know what they are trying to get, but they don’t have anything of substance, and I just think I’m proud of him. I think it’s a real compliment to our family and to him, something for us to be proud of.”
The Big Ten banned Jim Harbaugh from coaching Michigan’s final three regular-season games, saying the school violated its sportsmanship policy by conducting “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years” that resulted in “a competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
The conference did acknowledge while suspending Harbaugh last week that it had not received any information indicating he was aware of the impermissible nature of the sign-stealing scheme.
“You get kind of in this kind of a situation where you come under fire for whatever reasons, and you come out in a really good place doing the right thing all the time, and I’m really proud of that,” John Harbaugh said. “He’s a great man, he’s a great coach. His players love him. His coaches love him, and he stands tall.”
The Big Ten said the suspension was meant to punish the university, not Jim Harbaugh.
Perryman suspended
Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman was suspended without pay for three games for repeatedly violating player safety rules during Sunday’s win over the Bengals. Perryman can appeal the suspension.
Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a helmetto-helmet hit on wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the fourth quarter.
“You were involved in a play that the league considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” NFL vice president Jon Runyan told Perryman in a letter. “You lowered your head and delivered a forcible blow to the shoulder and then the head/ neck area of the receiver. You had unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.”
Perryman has had six violations for similar personal fouls in his career, including in Week 2 against the Colts, when he was fined.
Vander Esch done for season
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is likely to miss the rest of the season with a neck injury that sidelined him the past month, and his career could be in jeopardy, as well.
The 27-year-old Vander Esch hasn’t played since injuring his neck again in a 42-10 loss to the 49ers on Oct. 8.
After making the Pro Bowl as a rookie first-round draft pick in 2018, the sixthyear pro missed seven of the final nine games a year later with a neck injury.
Vander Esch, who had a history of neck issues going back to his time at Boise State, had spinal fusion surgery after the 2019 season before missing time with a broken collarbone and an ankle injury in 2020, followed by more neck issues the past two seasons.
“We had just completely left it up to how he was evolving, but of course it’s such a very significant loss for us,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “We just wish him well, and just the nature of his potential injury here causes me to really think longer term and beyond what it means for next week or beyond what it means for next month. It has everything to do with what’s best in his interest.”
Vander Esch’s injury against the 49ers came when he was pushed from behind into the leg of linebacker Micah Parsons, jamming his neck.
Second Chubb surgery
Browns star running back Nick Chubb had surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a seasonending injury he sustained in Week 2 at Pittsburgh. This was Chubb’s second procedure on the knee since he got hurt when he was hit low on a running play against the Steelers. The Browns had hoped his injury wasn’t as severe, but during an initial surgery, it was discovered he had torn his ACL. The Browns expect the 27-year-old Chubb will be back at some point in the 2024 season . . . The Jets made a suprising move by waiving running back Michael Carter. Coach Robert Saleh hinted on Monday that schematic and personnel changes could happen this week with the Jets struggling on offense. Carter had a promising rookie season during which he ran for 639 yards and four touchdowns after being drafted in the fourth round. But the shifty and versatile running back saw his role diminish in his second season even after rookie Breece Hall was injured. Carter’s playing time was reduced mainly to third-down duties this season with Hall healthy and Dalvin Cook signed during training camp.