Ravens inside linebacker Malik Harrison was shot in the left calf Sunday and suffered a non-life-threatening injury, the team announced Monday.
Harrison was struck by a stray bullet while attending a gathering in Cleveland, according to the team. He was treated at a local hospital and has been communicating with team doctors and is set to return to Baltimore on Monday.
Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Harrison’s injury is not believed to be severe “at all,” but that he’s still being evaluated. Harrison was added to the nonfootball injury list Monday, which means he won’t practice until medically cleared. Players on the NFI list don’t count against their team’s 53-man roster.
“I’m optimistic that it’s going to be OK,” Harbaugh said. “I feel bad for the situation, [but] happy that he’s OK, very grateful that he’s OK and not hurt worse. I mean, anything can happen. It’s just a tough situation.”
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According to a police report, Harrison was shot in downtown Cleveland on Sunday night. Harrison told police that he was in a nightclub when a fight broke out. After security personnel evacuated the club, Harrison told police that someone saw a firearm in the crowd. As he ran away, Harrison heard several shots fired and noticed he’d been struck.
Harrison told police that emergency services took him to a hospital, where he was treated and from which he was later released. As of Monday afternoon, no one had been charged in connection with the incident.
“I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the thoughts and prayers you have sent my way in the last 24 hours,” Harrison wrote on Twitter on Monday night. “I want to thank the EMS crew and the staff at the hospital for treating me. Although today has been very overwhelming Im [sic] excited to get back on the football field very soon, playing the game I love to play.”
The Ravens were on a bye last week. Harrison, a third-round draft pick last year who grew up in Ohio and starred at Ohio State, started the Ravens’ first five games this season. He has 22 tackles in seven games, including two for loss, though his playing time has dwindled over the past month.
If Harrison is sidelined for long, Chris Board and Kristian Welch could step into larger roles behind starting inside linebackers Josh Bynes and Patrick Queen. Board has averaged 25 defensive snaps over the Ravens’ first seven games, while Welch (one defensive snap) has played almost exclusively on special teams.