Five Ravens Arrested This Off Season

[Oviedo]

CB Jimmy Smith arrested

[URL]http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11209415/jimmy-smith-baltimore-ravens-arrested-disorderly-conduct[/URL]

Still nothing is done and the media crucified Ben and demanded action. Wonder what is different between these players and Ben that keeps the media silent, especially the NFL Network guys?

Ravens becoming the new Bumgals

[SteelCrazy]

Ben is a 2 time Super Bowl Champion QB with a 100 million dollar contract. Who is Jimmy Smith? Basically, whatever sells...

[fezziwig]

Ben is a 2 time Super Bowl Champion QB with a 100 million dollar contract. Who is Jimmy Smith? Basically, whatever sells...

Ha, ha ha ! You got that right !

[birtikidis]

disorderly conduct is a little less of a big deal than sexual assault. Though, I don't know why Rice hasn't gotten anything yet.

[8467thekraken]

Just more of the double standard bs that continues to circulate throughout the frickin' country.

[hawaiiansteel]

disorderly conduct is a little less of a big deal than sexual assault. Though, I don't know why Rice hasn't gotten anything yet.

Ray Rice remains on deck for a suspension

Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2014

With the latest off-field incident for the Ravens happening this weekend, one of the team’s various 2014 arrests should result in a specific impact on the upcoming football season soon.

Running back Ray Rice has visited the league office in the wake of the resolution of assault charges involving the woman who would become his wife. Eventually, discipline will be imposed, most likely in the form of a suspension.

Rice will have appeal rights. To the Commissioner, who’ll make the decision in the first place.

The absence of a history of off-field incidents will help Rice. The fact that he struck a woman will hurt him, especially if the Commissioner has seen the surveillance video of the punch that knocked out Rice’s wife.

In the end, a multi-game ban should be the assumption. Anything less than that would be a surprise, especially since the NFL has been making a conscious effort in recent years to increase its concentration of female fans.

The sooner the Ravens know, the sooner they can make plans for however many weeks they’ll not have Rice on the roster once the regular season begins.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/13/ray-rice-remains-on-deck-for-a-suspension/[/URL]

[birtikidis]

I'm guessing he gets two games, but it'll be reduced to one.

[hawaiiansteel]

Ravens' arrests have cumulative effect

July, 13, 2014
By Jamison Hensley | ESPN.com

Jimmy Smith became the fifth Baltimore Ravens player arrested this offseason when he was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct late Saturday night.

The embarrassment for the Ravens isn't the individual arrests, per se. Three players were arrested for misdemeanors, and none may go to trial on any of the charges.

Five years from now, the lasting black eye from the Ravens' trouble-filled 2014 offseason will likely be running back Ray Rice's incident and the cumulative effect of the arrests.

The numbers are nearly unbelievable since this year's Super Bowl:

The Ravens have had five players arrested, and the other 31 teams combined have had 14 arrests. This means one out of every four NFL players arrested this offseason have been Ravens.

There are only three other teams with multiple arrests (San Francisco, Buffalo and Chicago), and none has more than two. The Cincinnati Bengals, who have been known for making headlines for arrests in the past, have had only one off-field incident.

The Ravens' five arrests have been in a five-month span this year and are one more than they had in coach John Harbaugh's previous six seasons.

Most of these legal issues have been resolved. Rice (felony aggravated assault) and offensive lineman Jah Reid (misdemeanor battery) have both been accepted into pretrial intervention programs, and wide receiver Deonte Thompson (felony possession of marijuana) had his case dismissed.

Running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (misdemeanor destruction of property as well as drunk and disorderly) has a July 31 court date, and Smith will have a court date assigned.

While many want to point a finger at the Ravens for not having a tighter rein on their players, all five arrests occurred when the players were on a break from offseason workouts. In fact, all but Smith's arrest occurred outside Maryland. There is only so much a team can do to keep an eye on all 90 players on its roster.

The good news for the Ravens is that the offseason is almost over. There are only 10 days until the entire team reports for training camp. The Ravens can only hope they don't add to this police blotter of an offseason before then.

[URL]http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/tag/_/name/ray-rice[/URL]

[Oviedo]

disorderly conduct is a little less of a big deal than sexual assault. Though, I don't know why Rice hasn't gotten anything yet.

You mean the sexual assault that there was no evidence actually happened? So Ben gets nailed for unfounded and non-supported accusations for which he was never arrested and these other guys get nothing despite the fact they were arrested? It's more clear to me now.

[phillyesq]

I think Ray Rice should be four games, at least. With Ben, there was not even sufficient probable cause to charge him with a crime. With Ray Rice, we all actually saw the video. And then there was the shameful apology, on the Friday before Memorial Day, when his now-wife apologized.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Ravens making a mockery of John Harbaugh’s “high standard”

Posted by Darin Gantt on July 14, 2014, 8:29 AM EDT

With a Super Bowl title and consistent success, the Ravens are often held up as a model NFL organization.

But this offseason, the most consistent thing they’ve done is gather information about their latest arrest.

Last weekend, cornerback Jimmy Smith became the fifth Ravens player to be arrested this offseason, his on disorderly conduct charges.

That flies in the face of the message coach John Harbaugh was stressing at the end of OTAs, when he said the team has the same standard for dealing with players now.

“It’s always the same high standard,” Harbaugh said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “We will always have the same high standard for our guys, and it’s the same message. . . .

“And we’ve emphasized what we need to with our guys. We have good, really good guys. Football matters to them. The more it matters to you, the less inclined you are to do anything to jeopardize that.”

Somebody should tell that to the players.

The most embarrassing case was the assault charges against running back Ray Rice for knocking his now-wife unconscious (for which she apologized at a press conference and the team ridiculously tweeted from the official account).

But one arrest can happen to any team.

The Ravens have also had Lorenzo Taliaferro arrested for destruction of property (going Ray Rice on a cab), and public intoxication, Jah Reid for two counts of battery and Deonte Thompson for suspicion of possession of marijuana.

When Smith was asked for identification by the police this weekend, he replied with the classic: “I’m Jimmy Smith, I play for the Ravens.”

Since their five arrests are more than any other team in the league (the other 31 clubs have combined for 14), the cops probably should have known that already.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/14/ravens-making-a-mockery-of-john-harbaughs-high-standard/[/URL]

[steelz09]

Ravens making a mockery of John Harbaugh’s “high standard”

Posted by Darin Gantt on July 14, 2014, 8:29 AM EDT

With a Super Bowl title and consistent success, the Ravens are often held up as a model NFL organization.

But this offseason, the most consistent thing they’ve done is gather information about their latest arrest.

Last weekend, cornerback Jimmy Smith became the fifth Ravens player to be arrested this offseason, his on disorderly conduct charges.

That flies in the face of the message coach John Harbaugh was stressing at the end of OTAs, when he said the team has the same standard for dealing with players now.

“It’s always the same high standard,” Harbaugh said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “We will always have the same high standard for our guys, and it’s the same message. . . .

“And we’ve emphasized what we need to with our guys. We have good, really good guys. Football matters to them. The more it matters to you, the less inclined you are to do anything to jeopardize that.”

Somebody should tell that to the players.

The most embarrassing case was the assault charges against running back Ray Rice for knocking his now-wife unconscious (for which she apologized at a press conference and the team ridiculously tweeted from the official account).

But one arrest can happen to any team.

The Ravens have also had Lorenzo Taliaferro arrested for destruction of property (going Ray Rice on a cab), and public intoxication, Jah Reid for two counts of battery and Deonte Thompson for suspicion of possession of marijuana.

When Smith was asked for identification by the police this weekend, he replied with the classic: “I’m Jimmy Smith, I play for the Ravens.”

Since their five arrests are more than any other team in the league (the other 31 clubs have combined for 14), the cops probably should have known that already.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/14/ravens-making-a-mockery-of-john-harbaughs-high-standard/[/URL]

Someone once said..... The standard is the standard.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Ravens sign Will Hill, because of course they do

Posted by Darin Gantt on July 25, 2014, 10:27 AM EDT

The Ravens led the NFL in offseason arrests, and have become pariahs in the last 24 hours for the too-lenient league punishment for wife-beating running back Ray Rice.

So naturally, they signed a guy who is currently serving a league suspension.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens have signed former Giants safety Will Hill.

Hill was suspended six games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, after previously being suspended for both the PED and substance abuse policies.

Why they would choose to take on such a project right now is a question that will be pondered in public relations classes for the future, but they’re clearing rolling the dice on being able to tap into the ability that the Giants got tired of waiting for.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/25/ravens-sign-will-hill-because-of-course-they-do/[/URL]