Blood is thicker than water – even Chesapeake Bay water.
Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh supported his brother, Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, on the sideline of the Wolverines' 28-0 win over the Terps on Saturday.
Yes, John works and lives in Maryland. And yes, many Ravens fans are also Terps fans.
But who can blame him one iota for choosing his brother’s side? And that’s coming from a Terp alum himself.
“I hope people understand,” John told CSN. “We love Maryland and are big fans of the Terps all the time. But this is family. Grandpa always told us, the most important thing in life is family.”
John wore jeans and a Michigan baseball cap, but didn’t put on a headset. Jim did jokingly give John credit for calling the play on a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter by wide receiver Jehu Chesson. John joked that he actually was more of a distraction.
“I didn’t actually call the play,” John said, per USA Today. “I took credit for calling the play, but Jim called the play. I’m happy to take credit if you want to give it to me.”
The brothers have a history of joining each other on the sideline when they can. Jim was in his trademark khakis on the Ravens’ sideline during last year’s wild-card win over the Steelers, shortly after he was hired by Michigan.
“You catch each other’s eye,” John said. “Same thing when he was at our game in Pittsburgh. I walked over and just asked him, ‘Hey what are you seeing, what do you think?’ And you’re always seeing something that you can share.
“You just hope like crazy that if you suggest something it actually works. You don’t want to suggest the thing that doesn’t work and cost them the game or something like that. Thank God that didn’t happen today.”
John spoke to the Michigan players after the game in the locker room.
“One Harbaugh is great, but two Harbaughs is even better,” quarterback Jake Rudock said.
“It’s an honor to be on the sideline with [John],” Jim said. “He gave good input during the game. It’s cool for our players. He talked to them after. It’s good to have him get to know our team.”
