What was expected to be a promising season for the Ravens in 2025 instead has turned into a disappointment. The Ravens have gone from holding legitimate Super Bowl aspirations to just hoping they make the playoffs by winning the AFC North over the Steelers.

The Ravens still have a shot at making the playoffs, but they have fallen significantly short of their hefty preseason expectations. Part of the reason for this is that superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson has been dealing with injuries over the course of the season, from a hamstring issue that kept him out for a month to a string of other injuries have have limited him during practices.

When healthy, Jackson is a two-time MVP and a player capable of leading the Ravens deep into the playoffs. Even so, writer Mike Preston said in a column for The Baltimore Sun that head coach John Harbaugh has “become tired” of Jackson despite building him up after every game. If he didn’t, “Jackson will go into his own self-exile,” Preston said.

Preston also reported in his column that Jackson has fallen asleep in team meetings and receives preferential treatment from the Ravens such as moving practice from the morning to the afternoon.

Harbaugh addressed the column on Wednesday and denied that he has become tired of Jackson. “I had a great conversation with Lamar this morning about a few things, football, how he’s feeling, things like that,” Harbaugh said. “Our relationship is A+. I love him. Always have, always will. I know he’s fighting like crazy to get back.”

Harbaugh also denied that Jackson has fallen asleep during team meetings.

“I said earlier this season, we take too much credence in anonymous type sources,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know where that’s coming from. I’ve never seen that, ever. That’s not something I’ve ever witnessed, and I’m in every meeting. To speculate on how I feel about it, I’ll tell ya how I feel. I’m pretty transparent. ... Anonymous reports or things that get said or written or whatever, I don’t need anybody speaking for me. Ask me and I’ll tell you what I think.”

Though questions have emerged surrounding both Harbaugh and Jackson’s futures in Baltimore, Harbaugh is standing by his quarterback once again. Jackson remains under contract with the Ravens through the 2027 season on a five-year, $260 million deal he signed back in early 2023. His status for this weekend’s game against the Packers is up in the air as he deals with a back contusion he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as John Harbaugh Responds to Column Claiming He’s ‘Become Tired’ of Lamar Jackson.

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