Ravens React To Sterling's Lifetime Ban For Racist Remarks
"Karma." "Justice." "Wouldn't want to play for him."
Those are some of the words current and former Ravens used in reaction to Los Angeles Clippers Owner Donald Sterling being banned for life by the NBA Tuesday after the league said he made racist comments in a privately recorded conversation.
In the video below, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver detailed the lifetime ban, barring Sterling from NBA games or practices, Clippers offices or facilities, participation in team business or player personnel decisions and any league business. Sterling was also fined $2.5 million and Silver will try to force the NBA's longest-tenured owner to sell the Clippers franchise.
Not only was it the harshest penalty ever issued by the NBA, but it is one of the stiffest punishments ever given to an owner in all professional sports, according to ESPN.
Ravens players feel the punishment was well-deserved.
"Adam Silver is not playing with this punishment...can't have those feelings and be in that position...no one would want to play for him," wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote on his Twitter account.
"Donald really ain't stunting y'all tho…" tweeted safety Matt Elam.
"DROPPED THE HAMMER ON STERLING!!!!" wrote defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore.
"All that money can't save you. #Karma," tweeted offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.
"Still a shame that this guy is going to make a ton of money from selling the team," added center Gino Gradkowski.
The scandal broke Saturday when recordings were released by TMZ and Deadspin of Sterling making several racist remarks to girlfriend V. Stiviano after she posted pictures of herself with black friends, including Magic Johnson, on Instagram.
Many have pointed to the irony of Sterling's comments, having black players on his team. His comments and seeming hypocrisy may be why so many players indicate they'd never play for him.
"Donald Sterling! What an ignorant man! I'd hate to be playing on his team!" tweeted former Ravens wide receiver Qadry Ismail.
Clippers players tried to separate themselves from their former owner Tuesday night.
They rose above the emotion and outrage, beating the Golden State Warriors 113-103 and taking a 3-2 lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs. During warm-ups earlier this week, Clippers players tossed their sweatsuits with the team logo onto the court and wore their red shirts inside out.
"A lesson that we can all learn from this....what you say behind closed doors can always come back to get you...keep it positive," wrote Smith. "Racism is still very real...even in corporate America....incidents like this brings attention to it but we must change as people to fix it."
Former Ravens cornerback Deion Sanders added: "Racism has NO place in sports on the field, in the stands or in the front office. Thank God that justice stands above all ignorance. #Truth."
Chances Ravens Draft RB or WR In Top 3 Rounds
What are the chances the Ravens add a wide receiver in the first three rounds of the draft?
High, says The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec.
And running back? Decent, he says.
The Ravens may boast one of their best receiving corps in franchise history, but Zrebiec believes the team will still select a pass catcher high this year because of the need to continue to build around quarterback Joe Flacco for the future.
"General Manager Ozzie Newsome has prioritized adding more offensive weapons for Joe Flacco this offseason," Zrebiec wrote. "There's also no shortage of available options. If a receiver the Ravens really like is still on the board at 17, it wouldn't be a surprise if they used their first-round pick on a receiver for the first time since 2005. But with the amount of quality available, they very well could wait and fill more pressing needs early."
Running back is a more pressing need in light of Ray Rice's down year in 2013 and his possible suspension in 2014. But the value of the position has dropped league-wide over the years, which may be why there is only a "decent" chance the Ravens would use a high draft pick on a running back.
"The Ravens have two third-round picks, which could be an ideal spot for them to add depth to a position that features several question marks," Zrebiec wrote. "Rice is dealing with legal issues stemming from his February arrest and indictment for aggravated assault, while Pierce is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery. Forsett is good veteran insurance, but not viewed as a long-time answer."
Would You Rather Have TE Ebron Or T Martin?
ESPN draft gurus Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both released their latest mock drafts yesterday, each addressing a different position of need.
Kiper sees the consensus top tight end falling to the Ravens at No. 17 in Eric Ebron. Meanwhile McShay addresses what is perhaps the Ravens' most pressing need of all at right tackle. To fill the need, McShay envisions the Ravens taking offensive tackle Zack Martin.
"Who would you rather have, TE Eric Ebron or OT Zack Martin?" asked our own Ryan Mink on Twitter.
I'm sure the Ravens would be happy to see either player fall to them. While the team is set this year with tight end Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels, they need depth and will want to build for the future.
"There are pretty legitimate questions about how 'complete' a tight end Ebron is," wrote Kiper. "Perhaps those even cause him to slide a few spots on some boards, but at this point, he becomes a great value, even if you're not drafting him to occasionally help the tackle collapse the edge in the run game. This guy is a difference-maker in the passing game, a long, fast matchup problem with the size to drag corners who try to pull him down after he makes the catch. The Ravens added Steve Smith, but they shouldn't be out of the game for another major target in the passing game."
Right tackle may be the more pressing need in light of Michael Oher's departure via free agency to the Tennessee Titans. Martin would compete with the current projected right tackle starter in Rick Wagner.
"This is a great fit," Kiper wrote of Martin. "There's a chance he ends up at guard because of his lack of ideal length, but we've projected him as an NFL tackle -- and regardless of the position he ends up playing, he has the potential to be a very effective player. He possesses very good awareness and toughness."
Below are the picks each analyst has made in their previous 2014 mock drafts for the Ravens, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley:
Kiper's picks
Mock 1.0: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Mock 2.0: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Mock 3.0: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
Mock 4.0: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
McShay's picksMock 1.0: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
Mock 2.0: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Mock 3.0: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
Mock 4.0: Zack Martin, OL, Notre Dame
Mock 5.0: Zack Martin, OL, Notre Dame
Quick Hits
- @sportguyRSR [Russell Street Report]: Top colleges in #Ravens draft history: Oklahoma (7), UMiami (6), Alabama (6), Florida (4), Georgia Tech (4), Notre Dame (4) and Oregon (4).
- @ryanmink: Steelers please RT @LooneyonFox: HBO and the NFL have narrowed down the HARD KNOCKS teams to a list of three: Bears, Giants, Steelers.
- @BaltSunSports: Ravens Insider: Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle visited Giants, Jets, Raiders, Lions, source says [Twitter]
- Former Ravens Duane Starks and Donte Stallworth are set to participate in the NFL sports journalism boot camp. [The Baltimore Sun]
- The best front offices know the value of compensatory picks, including the Ravens. "The teams that have loaded up on the most compensatory picks this decade – and franchises that have traditionally been contenders and regular playoff performers, like Pittsburgh and Baltimore and New England and Green Bay – seem to be paying even closer attention than ever to where their players come from," wrote Jason La Canfora. "You see, those teams are specifically targeting players who have been released by their teams to hit the open market, and not those whose contracts have merely expired. And, in many cases, they will be waiting until after June 1 to make their final forays into the free agent market." [CBSSports.com]
- The peeps at WNST believe in the mantra, "In Ozzie We Trust." But they also acknowledge that not everyone is perfect. In that spirit, they look at the Top 16 worst draft picks in Ravens history. From 16 to 1, Michael Oher (2009, Round 1), Demetrius Williams (2006, Round 4), Tavares Gooden (2008, Round 3), David Pittman (2006, Round 3), Jay Graham (1997, Round 3), Oniel Cousins (2008, Round 3), DeRon Jenkins (1996, Round 2), Yamon Figurs (2007, Round 3), Devard Darling (2004, Round 3), P.J. Daniels (2006, Round 4), Patrick Johnson (1998, Round 2), Mark Clayton (2005, Round 1), Travis Taylor (2000, Round 1), Dan Cody (2005, Round 2), Sergio Kindle (2010, Round 2) and Kyle Boller (2003, Round 1). [WNST]
- Five reasons why wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. will help the Ravens despite being 35 years old. [CSNBaltimore.com]
