Ravens HC John Harbaugh sets record straight on why his daughter will not meet Taylor Swift at AFC Championship Game
John Harbaugh has not been publicly known to know a thing or two about Taylor Swift, but that has changed now.
The multi-platinum pop star has been a staple of the NFL since September, when her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Taylor Swift entered the national consciousness.
Towards the end of his extraordinary press conference on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens coach had the topic raised to him for the first time. When asked whether his daughter would meet Swift, Harbaugh said:
"No, my daughter's in college."
However, he did admit to having a few of Swift's songs in his playlist, which he said he would not be deleting before the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs:
"I have some Taylor Swift songs in my phone. I do."
John Harbaugh reflects on friendship with Chiefs coach Andy Reid ahead of AFC Championship Game
In the same press conference, John Harbaugh discussed his connection with Andy Reid, whom he tussle on Sunday.
Before he was hired by the Ravens, the 15-season veteran had worked with the Chiefs head coach as special teams coordinator and secondary coach at the Philadelphia Eagles for almost a decade.
During their time together, the two reached four consecutive NFC Championship Games, from 2001 to 2004, advancing to the Super Bowl in the last of them, losing to the New England Patriots.
Reflecting on that time and comparing it to now, he said:
"It’s a big deal. ... I just learned so much as a coach and as a person. Then, competing against him now (for) all these years has been challenging. Andy’s a great coach. He has a great staff.”
Interestingly, Harbaugh began his Eagles tenure in 1998 under Ray Rhoades, who resigned at the end of the season. However, when Reid came over from a fruitful stint at the Green Bay Packers, he opted to retain the special teams coordinator.
That led to many lessons learned and moments seen, one of which John Harbaugh happily described:
"One of the things with Andy (was) he had this 3x5 card behind his desk on his bulletin board. It said, ‘Don’t judge.’ I got the nerve to ask him about it one time, and he just basically (said) it was a Biblical principle ... I’ve never forgotten that.”
The AFC Championship Game kicks off at 3 p.m. on CBS.