Ravens Owner Explains Why He Fired John Harbaugh Over the Phone

Steve Bisciotti shared why John Harbaugh was fired over a phone call.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired John Harbaugh over the phone last week. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The Ravens made the decision to fire long-time coach John Harbaugh last week. Perhaps even more surprising than the decision to move on from Harbaugh was that Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti fired him over the phone.

For a coach that spent 18 years with the Ravens and led them to a Super Bowl championship, getting fired over the phone seemed cruel. As Bisciotti addressed reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the firing, he explained why the conversation ended up taking place by phone call instead of in person.

“I never dreamed of firing somebody by phone, but the reality is when I had made my decision by Tuesday afternoon, I was home and he was in his car heading to his house,” Bisciotti said. “I thought it would be kind of a jerk move to call him up and say, ‘Hey Coach, meet me at the office in an hour.’ He probably would've said, ‘Yeah, Steve, I’d rather not. Why don’t you just tell me over the phone.’”

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti on why he fired coach John Harbaugh over the phone pic.twitter.com/zFe1ofdMKh

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 13, 2026

“And when I did tell him my decision over the phone, I said, ‘I’m really sorry about doing this over the phone. I wish we were together.’ And he said to me, ‘You don’t owe me an apology for that either.’”

Bisciotti described his conversation with Harbaugh as emotional. “It was the craziest firing in the world because I was the one choked up and he was the one consoling me.”

“[Harbaugh] said, ‘You don’t owe me anything. ... You gave me 18 years. You picked a special teams guy, who does that? You altered mine and Ingrid’s life forever because you took a chance on me. I am happy and content and disappointed, but I love you and I respect you and I respect your decision,’” Bisciotti said.

Bisciotti also shared that he spoke with Harbaugh again a few days after the initial firing, noting that he talked to his former head coach about taking a year off to travel and get a break. Given the heavy interest in Harbaugh from other teams, Bisciotti does not expect that to happen. He does however expect Harbaugh to only join a team that already has a quarterback, and even told Harbaugh the job he believes he should accept.

Harbaugh has plenty of leverage in his job hunt, and will certainly have his pick of the litter as he decides where he’ll land next as a head coach.

---