Ravens Owner Explains What Led to John Harbaugh Firing

Relationship Between Parties

He and Harbaugh spent 18 years as owner and coach, but the majority that followed their Super Bowl win to cap off the 2012 season were packed with heartbreaking endings.

Their most recent 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers held them back from making the playoffs with a healthy Lamar Jackson for the first time since the star quarterback joined forces with the successful franchise. Harbaugh was the first domino to fall, one that Bisciotti pushed over himself in breaking the news to the coach last week.

"I think we had run our course," he said. "I made the decision by myself and they understood. I didn't need them to come to my side of the fence. It was a wonderful, wonderful marriage."

Bisciotti reportedly held conversations with several notable players before pulling the trigger on the dramatic move, but he asserted that they didn't play an overwhelming role in his decision. The straying away from the standard they'd set, starting with their collapse as an interior defense and along the offensive line, was where his real concern lay.

Even after he spearheaded the parting of ways, Bisciotti asserted that Harbaugh remains a dear friend of his, and fully expects him to find a new, slightly more relaxing home whenever he wants one entering the hiring cycle. There was certainly no rest for him with the demanding Baltimore media and fan base in his ears, and they grew no quieter with each passed disappointing year.

"I get to relieve John of all that crap...he gets to start anew," the owner said.

He, along with DeCosta, now move ahead to looking for Harbaugh's replacement, where he hopes to continue building around Jackson with someone who meets the needs of the current squad. They still have a long way to go before they're done conducting interviews, but the wound of losing the constant at head coach remains clearly fresh in Baltimore.