John Harbaugh has given his side of the story after the Baltimore Ravens faced scrutiny for incorrectly reporting Lamar Jackson's injury status before the win against the Chicago Bears
07:47 ET, 27 Oct 2025
Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh watch on
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John Harbaugh has addressed the controversy over Lamar Jackson's injury status(Image: Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
John Harbaugh insists the Baltimore Ravens made an "honest mistake" after Lamar Jackson was incorrectly listed as a full participant in Friday's practice ahead of Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears.
Jackson had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, but he was in with a shot of returning against the Bears after being a limited participant in Wednesday and Thursday's practices. And it seemed two-time MVP Jackson was trending towards suiting up at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday when he was listed as a full participant on Friday.
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However, the Ravens changed his practice status to limited on Saturday as it emerged he only took snaps with the scout team, prompting scrutiny and talk of an NFL investigation to see if rules had been broken.
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Backup Tyler Huntley started in Jackson's stead and threw for 186 yards and a touchdown in a much-needed 30-16 victory to improve to 2-5 on the season and keep the Ravens' faint playoff hopes alive.
Confusion remains over why Jackson's status was not reported correctly in the first instance, and head coach Harbaugh — who is not involved in deciding injury report statuses, with athletic trainers and PR staff responsible — was asked for his perspective in his postgame press conference.
"It really is an honest mistake," Harbaugh said. "I can tell you this: Nobody's trying to hide anything. There's no advantage to be gained with that."
Lamar Jackson watches from the sideline
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Harbaugh hopes Jackson will be able to return for Thursday's matchup with the Dolphins(Image: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
"I think, in their defense, he practiced a full practice. I think they felt like, because he did the same number of reps [as he usually does], it was a full practice.
"But when you dig in and you read the rule, at the end of the day, it wasn't right. So, that's what it was. That's why, as soon as we found out, we changed it."
Transparency over players' injury statuses is mandated by the league not only to ensure fairness between teams but also for sports betting and fantasy football purposes.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson insisted that his team was not affected by the reporting of Jackson's injury status.
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He told reporters: "Like I said early in the week, we were preparing for Lamar, and then when we found out he wasn't playing, then we get ready for the next guy."
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His thoughts were echoed by Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who said: "Obviously, they're going to do what's best for the team. I don't think it was malice behind any of it. I think it's just how the league goes."
The Ravens face an uphill battle to get back in playoff contention after a disastrous start to the season, but Harbaugh is "hopeful" that his star quarterback will be able to start Thursday's game with the Miami Dolphins (2-6).