Ravens coach John Harbaugh this morning:
Harbaugh was asked about the New Orleans Saints' recent bounty scandal and whether it was worth bending the rules if he thought he could get away with it, and Harbaugh brought up the Patriots' videotaping controversy in his response.
"In the end, everything is brought before the light of day, when it's all said and done," Harbaugh said on "98 Rock" in Baltimore. "What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now. It's been stained. To me, it's never worth it. ... You have to find a way to do things better than somebody else. But if you're cheating, in the end, you're going to get discredited. It's not worth it."
Harbaugh in a statement this afternoon:
"My reference was to the perception out there that came as the result of the league's actions. I could have been more clear that I was referring to those viewpoints. I totally believe that the Patriot and Saint coaches and players earned those championships. Bill (Belichick) and Sean (Payton) both know that. There has been some distortion about what I said. The original tweet indicated I pointed the finger at Bill Belichick and mentioned Bill's name. I did not. I have so much respect for Coach Belichick and the job he does and has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career. I called him to remind him of my respect for him. I also reached out to Tedy Bruschi, who rightfully defended those Patriot players and coaches on ESPN, to tell him that I agree with him that the Patriots earned every victory."
Classic, of course. Harbaugh::
1) Says something he means.
2) Realizes he shouldn't have said it -- or didn't want to say it.
