Some NFL coaches choose to relax at home during the offseason, while others may hit the books to prepare for the annual Combine and Draft. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh chose a different way to spend his downtime.
The Army reported that Harbaugh joined Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno on a tour of military bases in Afghanistan. The bench boss spent two weeks traveling to visit troops stationed at Kandahar and Bagram Air Field. He signed autographs, posed for pictures and spoke with the soldiers.
"The biggest message that I would like to leave on behalf of the National Football League players and coaches, for all the deployed service men and women out there, is 'thank you,'" Harbaugh told troops at Kandahar Air Field. "Thank you for doing all the things necessary to allow us to all live our lives the way we want to, in freedom."
The time spent with Harbaugh allowed some soldiers to forget about the constant pressures of military life. Some went right back to being football fans.
"You have so many questions, and what better way than to ask the coach directly," Staff Sgt. Bryant Brown told the DOD. Brown met Harbaugh during his stop at Bagram where he got a picture with the Super Bowl champion coach and even got the hold his ring.