It's almost surprising that this took as long as it did.
Two days after ESPN's Sal Palantonio spoke to the San Diego radio station Mighty 1090, saying that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and Colts owner Jim Irsay have pressured NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to uphold Tom Brady's four-game suspension, Bisciotti refuted the report.
Speaking to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Bisciotti said he's never pressured Goodell about anything having to do with Deflategate.
"I have not and will not put any pressure on commissioner or anyone representing NFL office to take action in Deflategate," Biscotti said. "The story circulating that I’ve put pressure on Roger is 100 percent wrong. The reports are unfair to Robert Kraft, who is honorable person and to his franchise. Let’s talk about football and the start of training camp. Fans and people like me want the issue resolved now."
Whether or not Bisciotti's defense of himself is legitimate, this isn't the first time we've seen members of the Ravens try to put the toothpaste back in the tube after it was reported that they had done something to tick off the Patriots.
Immediately following last season's Divisional Round matchup between the Patriots and the Ravens, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh alleged that the Patriots used deceptive offensive formations in order to help them advance to the AFC title game. Then after the Deflategate story broke, it was reported that the Ravens tipped off the Colts before the game to check on New England's game footballs.
During the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Harbaugh denied any report that linked his team to helping spark the Deflategate investigation.
New England Patriots
Before that, in 2012, Harbaugh told a Baltimore radio station that New England's first three championships had "asterisks" because of the video taping controversy known as Spygate. "It's been stained," he said.
Once those comments picked up steam on social media, Harbaugh quickly clarified that his comments were in reference to the public's perception of New England's three rings and not his own personal opinion.
It seems as though the events of the last couple of years have complicated what once appeared to be a solid relationship between the Patriots and the Ravens. Remember it was Belichick who recommended Harbaugh to Bisciotti when Baltimore was looking for a new head coach.