Titans, Ravens get into pregame shouting match involving Mike Vrabel, John Harbaugh
Tensions were high in the Tennessee Titans-Baltimore Ravens game even before kickoff Sunday.
As the players were warming up, Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler got the festivities underway as he approached Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, and that led to Titans head coach Mike Vrabel getting involved.
Wow, John Harbaugh and Malcolm Butler went nose-to-nose after Titans came on the field and started gathering on Ravens logo. Harbaugh and then Mike Vrabel were having an animated conversation.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) November 22, 2020
Uh oh. Midfield logo drama here at M&T Bank Stadium. The #Titans came out and went right to midfield on the logo. John Harbaugh came all the way out and took offense. Mike Vrabel and Harbaugh then had a spirited chat. Throw the records out!!!
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 22, 2020
It’s a little far away, but here’s video of the incident as captured from the stands:
Kickoff hasn’t even started yet and there’s already tension. Titans came out and stood on the logo and Harbaugh came out to say something pic.twitter.com/LN0JQTuRYw
— Gabrielle DiPaula (@gabbydipaula) November 22, 2020
And here was a segment from the CBS broadcast showing the other side of the incident:
Here's what happened pre-game between the #Titans and #Ravens
Butler and Harbaugh were looking for a for a fight? pic.twitter.com/r90CNJ3Fw4— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 22, 2020
It’s unclear what exactly spurred this, or if there’s history between them other than Butler’s Titans ending the Ravens’ 2019 season in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Are we putting it past Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, an Ohio State guy, taking a shot at hated Michigan (coached by John’s brother, Jim Harbaugh)?
There’s a lot on the line in this game, as both 6-3 teams are jockeying for playoff position. Entering the game, Baltimore was the seventh (and final) playoff seed in the AFC, and Tennessee was on the outside looking in at No. 9 in the conference pecking order.
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