Ravens' John Harbaugh Picks at 'BoogerGate' Claims About Brother

BALTIMORE, MD — Brothers have to have each others' backs. So, when speculation began online that University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh ate a booger during last weekend’s win over the University of Central Florida, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh had to defend his brother and the family's honor.

During a press call with Cleveland media ahead of this weekend's matchup against the Browns, John Harbaugh said neither coach has eaten a booger. The coaching duo may know how to go deep to pick off a receiver, but engaging in grade-school antics isn't part of their game plan, they say.

The nosy speculation began when TV cameras were panning the Michigan sidelines and caught what some say was Harbaugh’s index finger appearing to go in one nostril, then down toward his mouth.

You might be shaking your head, thinking: Good grief, man. Wipe it on your trademark khakis. Or carry a handkerchief. Don’t eat the blessed thing. Don’t.

Sportscasters are having a lot of fun with a clip, talking about Harbaugh “going in for the pick.”

Family honor is at stake here. The Baltimore Ravens coach defended his brother.

“My brother has never eaten a booger,” the Baltimore Harbaugh said Wednesday during a conference call with Cleveland media before Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET game with the Browns, which will be carried on CBS. “Nothing came out,” the Ravens head coach said.

John Harbaugh said he’s not a booger eater either.

John John John.... you cannot say brother Jim has NEVER eaten a booger. #BoogerGate
— James Sizemore (@JamesWSizemore) September" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/JamesWSize... 14, 2016

The brothers got together before the football season was in full swing during a summer camp in Baltimore.

The Michigan Harbaugh categorically denies that he ate a booger.

“I have never eaten a booger in my life,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “It might have looked like that was happening. But if you rub your nose and then you bite your fingernail, that's not eating a booger. There was no booger eaten. For clarity here, for the record, I have never eaten a booger in my entire life.”

Not everyone's buying the story on Twitter, where #BoogerGate is trending.

But Harbaugh did have some defenders.

And a poll may settle the question for fans.

Image via YouTube