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It’s great to be in Baltimore to cheer on the @Ravens in their first AFC North matchup of the season! #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/cBpwZi5OzE— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) October 24, 2021

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens all but two players stood during the “black national anthem,” but most either took a knee or sat down as the American national anthem was played. As the Ravens faced the Cleveland Browns in the season opener, all but two of the Ravens proudly stood as “Life Every Voice and Sing” rang out over the stadium’s public address system. Ahead of the song, the Ravens lined up at the goal line as a show of support. As the “black national anthem” played, Ravens players Marlon Humphrey and Matthew Judon took a knee, according to Baltimore...

For the first time since 2002, the Tennessee Titans are heading to the AFC Championship. Mike Vrabel's team finds themselves on the doorstep of a Super Bowl berth after stunning the No. 1 seeded Baltimore Ravens, 28-12. Tennessee carried the momentum from their Wild Card upset of the Patriots into Baltimore and essentially had this victory secure from the jump going on a 14-0 run to start the game. They were able to get on the board first after Tennessee safety Kevin Byard picked off a tipped pass from Lamar Jackson, one of his three turnovers on the night. Ryan...

Lamar Jackson tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes as his Baltimore Ravens routed the host Miami Dolphins 59-10 in Sunday’s season opener for both teams. ....Several Miami mistakes led to Baltimore’s first-half assault, including a Fitzpatrick interception and a fumbled punt return by Jakeem Grant. In addition, the Ravens — leading 35-10 at the time — faked a punt with a direct snap to safety Anthony Levine, who rumbled 60 yards on a fourth-and-1 play for a first down to Miami’s 10 late in the second quarter.

... Four black coaches were fired Sunday or Monday, including the Jets’ Todd Bowles, who was let go shortly after his team’s final loss Sunday. The Jets had a 14-34 record in the last three seasons under Bowles. Marvin Lewis, who had been at the helm of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2003, was fired Monday. Though he had resurrected the moribund Bengals and took them to the playoffs multiple times, he never won a playoff game and this season was Cincinnati’s third consecutive one with a losing record. Also fired Monday was Denver Broncos Coach Vance Joseph, who had presided...

Baltimore Ravens team president Dick Cass sent a letter to season-ticket holders, suite holders, and sponsors about the noticeable dip in attendance at games this season, and cited the team’s protest during the national anthem as one reason. "The numbers [of no-shows] are higher, and it is noticeable," Cass wrote. "There are a number of reasons for the no-shows, but surely the one-time protest in London has been a factor." [Snip] The NFL's ratings have fallen by nearly 20 percent since players started protesting during the national anthem two years ago.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has increased security around the Ray Lewis statue outside M&T Bank Stadium after the former All-Pro linebacker joined Ravens players in kneeling during the national anthem, which spurred an on-line petition to remove the 3-year-old landmark. The petition on change.org has received more than 50,000 signatures as of Thursday morning.

Extra security has been added near the statue of retired Ravens star Ray Lewis at M&T Bank Stadium after he joined current players Sunday in kneeling during the national anthem, provoking calls to remove the likeness. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, more than 36,000 people had signed an online petition on change.org that advocates for the removal of the Lewis statue “because of his refusal to stand during the National Anthem.

Ray Lewis has added an interesting new twist to the ongoing question of why Colin Kaepernick isn’t playing for the Baltimore Ravens right now. In Lewis’s words, Kaepernick’s girlfriend is the problem. Speaking on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” Lewis discussed conversations he and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti had regarding Kaepernick. “We were talking about giving this kid an opportunity to get back in the National Football League,” Lewis said. “I have been fighting for this kid behind the table like nobody has … I’ve never been against Colin Kaepernick. But I am against the way he’s done it.” Bisciotti said...

In a wide-ranging interview on the racial climate in America, Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson brought up Planned Parenthood’s unscrupulous founding, saying the organization was created to “exterminate blacks.” Mr. Watson said black support for Planned Parenthood is “ironic,” given that the organization was founded by eugenicist Margaret Sanger in order to control “unfit” populations.

Via Twitter: "We need men to be men and lead, protect, and nurture their homes. The government is not daddy" #POTUStownhall

Football coaches face a tough choice anytime they’re asked to play politics: Do so, and they risk alienating their fan base for a reason other than play calling or defensive schemes. Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh took the plunge Saturday, when he agreed with Donald Trump’s idea to build a border fence to keep out illegal immigrants coming from Mexico. At an otherwise boring press conference Saturday afternoon, Harbaugh, who’s won a Super Bowl and is no stranger to dealing with media, was asked a question about officiating during the ongoing NFL preseason. Somehow, his answer drifted into politics, with...

Johnny Manziel lost his starting spot after cameras caught the quarterback partying during his bye week. Browns coach Mike Pettine called the behavior, which comes after an offseason trip to rehab, “disappointing” and “frustrating.” Manziel’s bye-week carousing spoils his national coming-out party previously scheduled for Monday night’s game against the banged-up Baltimore Ravens. Pettine announced on Tuesday Josh McCown will start the game at quarterback. TMZ spotted Manziel on Thursday at the RIO Rooftop & Restaurant nightclub in Austin, where he partied the evening away with friends. The Summit Rooftop Lounge, where he spent the evening boozing on champagne, served...

The double standard our media impose on child sexual abuse is garishly obvious. On Aug. 14, The Washington Post set the stage for the coming American visit of Pope Francis with another splashy front-page story on a man still berating the Catholic Church after being abused by a priest from 1969 to 1976. But on Aug. 21, after a court sentenced former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader Molly Shattuck, 48, for sexually abusing a 15-year old boy merely a year ago, the Post ignored it completely. Apparently, there was no room. That boy's family had no media advocate there. It's horrible that...

Molly Shattuck, the former Ravens cheerleader who was married to onetime Constellation Energy CEO Mayo A. Shattuck III, was arrested Wednesday and charged with third-degree rape and unlawful sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy, Delaware State Police said.

GEORGETOWN, Del. – Former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader Molly Shattuck was sentenced Friday to two years of probation after pleading guilty to raping a 15-year-old boy at a vacation rental home in Delaware. The 48-year-old collapsed to her knees in the courtroom after she was sentenced and wept as she apologized. Shattuck, who received a suspended 15-year prison sentence, must report every other weekend to a probation center in Delaware, register as a sex offender and continue therapy. The teen's parents said Shattuck stole their son's innocence and urged the judge to send her to prison to send a message to...

John Urschel plays football for the Baltimore Ravens. He's also a published mathematician. How does he stack up against the average millennial?

April 10, 2015 Polamalu retires from football Jim Wexall Troy Polamalu called Dan Rooney last night to inform him he was retiring from football. The Steelers had asked Polamalu to retire in February, but he resisted until the realization came upon him in church this week, the Holy Week of the Greek Orthodox Church. “It’s all about family,” said Polamalu in a phone interview. “I live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I’ve had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had before. It was awesome.” Polamalu retires after 12 seasons,...

John Urschel is an offensive lineman for the NFL Baltimore Ravens whose Twitter handle is @MathMeetsFball. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in math, both with a 4.0 grade-point average. ... We should note, this isn't Urschel's first published math paper. He's also an avid chess player and hopes to be titled.

Out-of-work running back Ray Rice has issued a statement thanking the Baltimore Ravens and apologizing for his actions in a February 2014 elevator incident with his now-wife that struck a serious chord with the nation a year ago. Rice's high-profile case was the signature incident of a horrific domestic-violence swell among NFL players last season, and it raised awareness of what appeared to be a growing problem in the league. For his part, Rice apologized for his actions and thanked the city of Baltimore and the team, which released him last season once the full tape of Rice hitting his...