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          NFL Nation

          Ravens cancel practice to tour Pentagon and visit Arlington National Cemetery

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterAug 21, 2017, 04:40 PM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          The Baltimore Ravens players reported to the team facility on Monday expecting to suit up for another practice.

          Instead, the Ravens were treated to Washington, D.C.

          Coach John Harbaugh surprised his team by taking the players on a tour of the Pentagon, the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a visit to John F. Kennedy's gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery.

          Retired four-star General Ray Odierno, the former head of the Joint Forces Command and Chief of Staff of the Army, helped coordinate the day for the Ravens.

          After the Ravens' tour of the Pentagon, wide receiver Keenan Reynolds, a Naval Academy graduate and safety Otha Foster, who served three years with the Marines, participated in a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

          "This is an amazing experience for all of us," Harbaugh said. "How fortunate and blessed are we to experience a day like this. It’s humbling, and we are so appreciative."

          The Ravens are off Tuesday and return to the field Wednesday to begin three days of practice, which will lead up to their third preseason game.

          Harbaugh, a strong supporter of the military and a history buff, is known for his field trips. He took the rookies to the battlefields of Gettysburg before the official start of training camp.

          "Football is a meritocracy, and our team has worked hard throughout this offseason and training camp," Harbaugh said. "Our coaches appreciate and respect that effort. The team deserves a day away from the fields and meetings and an opportunity to spend some time together away from the facility."