‘I just want to give honor and glory where it’s due’: John Harbaugh opens postgame presser with scripture

After a dominant win over the Houston Texans on Saturday in the NFL playoffs, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh opened his post-game presser with a strong statement about who deserves the honor and glory.

“This is something that was said to me before the game, and it just was meaningful to me, so I’m gonna share it with you because I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “It’s a verse: ‘Greatness, power, glory, victory, and honor belong to you, because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. The kingdom belongs to you, Lord. You are the head, the Ruler over everything.’”

The verse Harbaugh read was from 1 Chronicles 29:11, a statement from King David before his death, acknowledging that everything good comes from God.

“There’s an amazing spirit on this team, and I just want to give honor and glory where it’s due,” Harbaugh added.

Harbaugh’s timely, bold proclamation comes just under a week after NBC clearly edited out Texan’s quarterback C.J. Stroud’s praise of Jesus, in his on-field interview with Kathryn Tappen after a playoff victory.

“First of all, I just want to give all glory and praise to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” he said on the live broadcast, which was edited out on the version NBC shared online.

This year’s Ravens is one of the best in Harbaugh’s 16-year stint with the team, a run that includes 14 winning seasons and a Super Bowl victory in 2013. The 61-year-old coach has the Ravens one game away from reaching another Super Bowl after they’ve dominated both sides of the ball this season.

In a career marked by perpetual success, Harbaugh, a devout Catholic, is no stranger to sharing his faith on one of the world’s biggest stages. After defeating the Los Angeles Rams last month, Harbaugh used the opportunity to talk about the meaning of the Advent season:

“Advent comes from the Latin, ‘adventus,’ which means anticipation and preparation for an amazing event, which is the coming of our Savior and celebrating the Christ – the Good News that changes the world and changes it for all eternity.”

Though that game ended in a dramatic loss, Harbaugh credited the Holy Spirit with reminding him to honor his opponent amidst all the celebration. 

“I jumped around and I lost my headset,” the coach said. “I think God probably reminded me – the Holy Spirit, maybe something. It was a small, still voice in my head.” 

Harbaugh has consistently leveraged his illustrious career as an opportunity to share his faith, keeping the glory of God his top priority. On the Sports Spectrum podcast last year, the Ravens coach defined how he sees success: 

“To me, success is alignment with God. Perfect success would be perfect alignment with God and God’s will. … He knows what our true desires are, what our purpose is. So trying to find that purpose through connection with God – being connected and filled with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit — that is success.” 

Harbaugh’s Ravens will face the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday at 2:00 pm CST at M&T Bank Stadium, where they hope to unseat the defending Super Bowl Champions.