A pair of sexual assault allegations against Mike Green sent the Marshall edge rusher’s stock tumbling down the board at the NFL draft this week. Friday night, his free-fall ended perhaps surprisingly in Baltimore.
Widely viewed as a top-20 prospect based on his ability and production that included leading the country in sacks with 17 last season, Green was instead selected 59th overall by the Ravens in the second round.
In the end, while 31 other teams passed on Green, which included some that reportedly took him off their draft board entirely, the Ravens ultimately picked him because of his talent but also because general manager Eric DeCosta, coach John Harbaugh and others in the organization felt “comfortable” doing so.
Comfortable with their due diligence into the allegations. Comfortable with Green’s character. Comfortable with the scrutiny that will undoubtedly come with investing in a player who faced the kinds of allegations the organization has spoken out against with a perceived zero-tolerance policy that eventually was clarified as not being one at all, with each matter determined on a case-by-case basis.
“We investigated the situation very thoroughly,” DeCosta said of the allegations that were made against Green. “We’ve got people that work for us investigating different incidents with players all the time. We felt comfortable taking him. We think he’s a talented player. We understand the severity of what these allegations were, of course, but doing our due diligence we are comfortable with Mike.”
While Green, a Williamsburg, Virginia, native and an All-American, has never been charged and has denied the accusations, he faced sexual assault allegations both in high school and at the University of Virginia in 2022.
He was also suspended from Virginia before transferring to Marshall ahead of the 2023 season.
Green’s selection also comes against the backdrop of an NFL investigation into Justin Tucker after voluminous sexual misconduct allegations against the kicker by numerous massage therapists from spas around the Baltimore area.
It also calls into question the perceived zero-tolerance policy, which was emphasized by owner Steve Bisciotti after the release of running back Ray Rice. In 2014, a video showed Rice punching his then-fiancee and future wife in the face in an elevator inside a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Still, DeCosta said he personally spent 90 minutes in his office with Green ahead of the draft. He also said the organization did more work behind the scenes looking at different things relating to Green and the allegations.
“We got as much information as we could,” he said. “We considered the facts, we considered the allegations, we considered what the reports actually were and what they actually weren’t and we made the decision based off of that.”
Yet even with the cloud of the Tucker investigation hanging over the organization, DeCosta stressed that it did not play a part in his decision on whether or not to draft Green.
“I don’t think it would be fair to either player,” he said. “It’s two different situations. Allegations are severe. We take it seriously, we look at them individually and do as much homework as we can and specifically to Mike I feel like we did a good job talking to as many people as possible.”
As for Green, he was not made available to reporters Friday night.
He did, however, volunteer the allegations during the scouting combine in February and spoke at length. He also met with the Ravens during that process.
“There’s accusations out there. I’ve never been questioned,” he told reporters then. “I’ve never been asked. Nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave.
“I have no problem with talking to these teams about it because I know who I am and I know the truth.”
Harbaugh, meanwhile, echoed similar sentiments as DeCosta. He also called the due diligence the Ravens did exhaustive.
Asked if it was still a difficult decision to use the pick on Green, DeCosta compared it to a multitude of factors.
“It’s a difficult decision when a guy runs a slow 40 [yard dash]. It’s a difficult decision when a guy has allegations. It’s a difficult decision when a guy has an injury that you think he can’t overcome that but maybe he can overcome,” he said. “That all gets factored in because in the end there is an element of risk mitigation with everything we do.”
Harbaugh also called him a “relentless” player.
“The first thing that jumped out is his motor,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a guy thats gonna come in here Day 1 and he’s gonna make a mark.”
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