National Football League

Ravens trying to convince Michael Phelps to speak to his hometown team

Published Aug. 16, 2016 3:41 p.m. ET

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Michael Phelps has a strong connection to his hometown of Baltimore, and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hopes the star swimmer's ties to the city will aid his team.

Now that Phelps has put the finishing touches on his remarkable Olympic swimming career — becoming the most decorated Olympian ever — Harbaugh is looking to bring the avid Baltimore fan in to motivate the Ravens as they prepare for the regular season.

"I'm going to try to talk him into speaking with the team. Maybe now he will," Harbaugh said, via ESPN. "We're just really proud of Michael Phelps."

The Ravens aren't the only ones who are proud of Phelps, who has racked up an incredible 23 Olympic gold medals and 28 medals overall over four Summer Games. Harbaugh wonders if Phelps does decide to speak to the Ravens, maybe he could bring his Olympic haul. But there's one issue.

"Can he carry them all?" Harbaugh said. "How heavy are those things?"

The Ravens have missed the playoffs two of the past three years since winning Super Bowl XLVII. Bringing in a winner like Phelps, who is extremely close to retired Ravens icon Ray Lewis, couldn't hurt their chances of bouncing back from their 5-11 season last year.

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