Diontae Johnson and the Baltimore Ravens are taking a break.
The Ravens announced on Monday that Johnson has been excused from team activities in the aftermath of a one-game suspension for his refusal to enter a game. The Ravens announced Johnson’s status in a one-word statement.
“We have mutually agreed with Diontae Johnson to excuse him from team activities this week,” the statement reads.
Head coach John Harbaugh said this when asked about Johnson’s status at his Monday news conference ahead of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers:
“All I’m really thinking about right now is Pittsburgh and getting our team ready for Pittsburgh,” Harbaugh said, per The Athletic. “He won’t be here this week, and next week will take care of itself.
Johnson is coming off a one-game suspension during Baltimore’s win on Sunday over the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team. The Ravens announced Johnson’s suspension last Wednesday with a statement that Johnson refused to enter a Dec. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles that Baltimore lost, 24-19.
“We have made the difficult decision to suspend Diontae Johnson for our upcoming game against the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team,” a Dec. 4 statement from general manager Eric DeCosta reads. “Diontae’s suspension stems from refusing to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Harbaugh previously declined to clarify that Johnson would remain on the Ravens roster during his Dec. 2 news conference. That was after Johnson was a healthy DNP against the Eagles but before the Eagles revealed that he’d refused to enter the game.
“We’ll just work it out and see where we’re at over the next few days and this week,” Harbaugh said.
Now Johnson’s been suspended for a game and given the vague designation of mutually agreeing to be excused from team activities. The Ravens have so far declined to address Johnson’s long-term status with the team. But Monday’s statement makes clear that he won’t be active for Saturday’s game.
The Ravens traded for Johnson in October from the Carolina Panthers to bolster a wide receiver room that features Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Johnson was Carolina’s leading receiver at the time with 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns through seven games.
Johnson has been active for five games, including one start, since joining the Ravens. He’s been targeted five times and has one catch for six yards.
