The China Mail - John Harbaugh fired by Ravens after 18 seasons

Harbaugh, 63, the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, was dismissed after the Ravens were eliminated from postseason contention in an agonizing 26-24 defeat to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement Harbaugh had been sacked following a "comprehensive evaluation of the season and the overall direction of our organization."

"I decided to make a change at head coach," Bisciotti said. "Today I informed John that he has been relieved of his duties."

Appointed in 2008, Harbaugh famously led Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory over a San Francisco 49ers team coached by his younger brother Jim in the 2011-2012 season, the so-called "Har-bowl."

"This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and most importantly as a great man of integrity," Bisciotti added.

In a separate statement, Harbaugh expressed dismay at his firing.

"Well, I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today," Harbaugh wrote.

"It comes with disappointment certainly, but more with gratitude & appreciation."

After the 2012 Super Bowl victory, Harbaugh never managed to take the Ravens back to the NFL's championship game, with his team suffering a heart-breaking 17-10 home defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC Championship game.

Harbaugh, however, retained the confidence of the Baltimore front office, and signed a three-year contract extension last year that would have kept him at the Ravens through 2028.

Yet despite starting this season as one of the favorites for the Super Bowl, the Ravens' season unraveled after a slow start dominated by injuries.

Harbaugh was booed off the field in October after the Ravens crashed to a record 44-10 home defeat against the Houston Texans, and faced further questions after a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots on December 21.

On Sunday, the Ravens needed to beat the Steelers in the final regular season game to make the playoffs, but came up short after rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a last second field goal.

Harbaugh is the fifth NFL coach to be dismissed since the regular season concluded on Sunday, following head coach firings by the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.

U.Chen--ThChM