Despite orbiting many of the biggest NFL stories opposite one another, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport rarely address each other’s reporting directly.
But this week’s news of the Baltimore Ravens parting ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh left the two insiders at odds, with Schefter directly refuting Rapoport’s reporting in an appearance on on The Pat McAfee Show.
Asked by McAfee to elaborate on the reporting from Rapoport that Harbaugh had lost the Baltimore locker room, Schefter offered his own, entirely different perspective, effectively calling Rapoport’s perspective inaccurate.
“I don’t think that information right there could be any less true,” Schefter said. “The players were coming to his office crying, hugging him, sending him goodbyes, calling him one by one.”
“I don’t think that information about John Harbaugh is true..
There were players crying in his office saying goodbye..
It was just time for a change” ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ToiBnxb0aG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 7, 2026
While Rapoport was one of the only prominent reporters to indicate a rift between Harbaugh and Ravens players, other reports at The Athletic and even from ESPN’s Jamison Hensley stated that Harbaugh’s message had grown “stale” and “run its course.”
In Schefter’s appearance on McAfee, he said the decision was more of a change for change’s sake:
“Sometimes, nobody does anything wrong, you go on for 18 years, and it’s time for everybody to go a different direction. It’s OK. Nobody has to do something wrong. There doesn’t have to be some salacious reason. There doesn’t have to be some fight or something like that. Sometimes, it could just be they fell short the past few years.”
No matter the exact nature of his departure from Baltimore, Harbaugh already appears to have numerous suitors and quickly leapfrogged the rest of the pack to seemingly become the top coach on the market.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.
Recent Posts
News
What the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel photos reveal about NFL insiderdom
Golf fans did not enjoy Jason Kelce on the Masters Par 3 broadcast
Golf fans were very annoyed at Jason Kelce showing up for the Masters Par 3 Contest and ruining their pristine vibes.
‘Everybody Loses’ author Danny Funt investigates America’s sports gambling industry
"The issue that really sticks with me is that a lot of states have basically entrusted these operators to self-police."
Everything we know about WNBA broadcast plans across its 6 national network partners
A lot is changing when the season tips off on May 8.
Roku exclusively streaming 5-game Savannah Bananas package
Roku will present yet-to-be-announced interactive platform experiences centered on the Bananas.
AA Podcast: John Jastremski on Bill Simmons, Mike Francesa, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, and more
On this week’s episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast, host Brandon Contes interviews former WFAN and The Ringer host...