Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce was pulled from his team's mandatory minicamp last week, and Pierce is taking full responsibility for the incident:
“Throughout the offseason, I tend to lift more than run,” Pierce told WNSP-FM radio in Alabama on Friday (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “Being a noseguard, I want to be strong or whatnot. I, honestly, just mismanaged my running a little bit.”
Pierce came into camp weighing quite a bit over 340 pounds, which is his listed weight. He also missed the Ravens' offseason conditioning program and did not participate in voluntary workouts, as he was a restricted free agent and signed his tender to return in 2019 last month.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters afterward that he pulled Pierce for “a safety standpoint and for his own health.”
“Out of respect for Coach Harbaugh, he's been nothing but a fair guy, he just wanted me to get in with the strength and conditioning staff and do more running before camp comes,” Pierce said.
As for defensive coordinator Don Martindale? He isn't thrilled that Pierce came into camp overweight, but he also is confident that Pierce will be just fine:
“Let's don't forget what a great football player he is,” Martindale said. “He'll get back there. I can't tell you when, but he'll get back there.”
Pierce is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played 14 games and registered 32 tackles and a fumble recovery.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Samford, went undrafted but eventually saw his first NFL action with the Ravens in 2016. He has been a mainstay along Baltimore's defensive line ever since.
Follow Us
Subscribe