Ravens PR boss “pissed” at report team didn’t want Reed

Ed Reed’s a Texan now, largely because they offered to pay him more than the Ravens were willing to.

But his departure is still the subject of much discussion in Baltimore, and it’s getting a little testy.

We noted earlier in the week that columnist Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun said Ravens coach John Harbaugh “wanted Reed back as much as he wants a root canal.”

Now, the Ravens PR chief, while admitting you can’t win a war with someone who buys ink buy the barrel, has waded headlong into one.

In an article on the Ravens official website, senior vice president of public and community relations Kevin Byrne admits that he’s “pissed,” about the characterization that Harbaugh didn’t want the veteran safety back. His main point is that Preston characterized an opinion of his own as a fact stemming from the organization, a suggestion Byrne clearly disagrees with.

“You know what, Ed Reed deserves better,” Byrne wrote. “So does John Harbaugh. The line was inconsiderate, offensive and not the truth.

“I know this, if Harbs had read a line from the Houston Post that said: ‘Reed wanted to play for John Harbaugh as much as he wants a root canal,’ John would be hurt – and surprised. He would likely assume that Ed said that to some reporter. He would question if his friendship with Ed was a sham and that maybe he had been conned by the safety.”

Byrne’s reputation in the business is of being fair and even-handed, so the tone of his response is as surprising as the content.

And for a guy who counsels players and coaches not to get into firefights with reporters, he just napalmed the local columnist, which should make for an interesting relationship going forward with someone he has to work with regularly.


(profootballtalk.com)