Ray Lewis is one of the best defensive players in NFL history and that has become a fact rather than an opinion in most NFL circles. Lewis has also performed one of the biggest and most profound public relations/perception/public image turnarounds in the history of sports.
As the Baltimore Ravens prepare to play the New England Patriots in what could be Lewis' last game, it's interesting to look at the career arc what should be a Hall of fame linebacker.
Lewis currently is a revered figure, praised by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and one who is asked advice and guidance from other players and executives around the league. He is a player that Peyton Manning would wait to see in the locker room, even an hour after losing one of the hardest games of his life, as he did last Sunday when the Broncos lost to the Ravens. But things were not always this way. This is the evolution of Ray Lewis.
Everything changed for Lewis on January 31, 2000, when the four-year pro and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker attended a party following Super Bowl XXXIV. A fight broke out with Lewis and his group with another set of friends outside an Atlanta nightclub, which led to the stabbing deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar.
To the surprise of many in the media and the NFL, Lewis was questioned by the police and later arrested with two other men after being indicted on murder and aggravated-assault charges. According to ESPN.com, the suit Lewis wore the night of the murders was never found. Lewis did not cooperate with Atlanta police and obstructed justice by telling his co-defendants to do the same.
Eventually Lewis reached a plea deal for misdemeanor obstruction of justice and later had to pay a $250,000 fine, which was the highest the league had ever given out at the time. He led the Ravens to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season and won MVP award of the game, but it was Trent Dilfer, not the award-winning linebacker who got say the "I'm going to Disney World" line.
Now, Lewis is reportedly set to appear on ESPN as a commentator when he retires, a company that is owned by Disney, the same Disney that passed him over all those years ago, It's just another interesting turn in the career arc of the linebacker.
According to SI's Richard Deitsch, Lewis has agreed to a multi-year contract with ESPN to become a commentator and personality and will be used on various TV and radio programs. Lewis and his team of representatives has met with several broadcasters this season in hopes of securing a contract for when he retires. The main sticking point of the deal with Lewis, Deitsch writes, is that he has a flexible schedule so that he can attend his sons football games at the University of Miami, where he is a running back.
Lewis is one of the most decorated players in NFL history and greatly changed his image following the murder trial. Lewis became more religious, he later appeared on the cover of Madden and continued to play at a Pro Bowl level while being a leader of the franchise, setting an example for the players around him.
"I think the greatest thing you can ever be remembered for is the impact and things that you had on other people," Lewis said Thursday to the Boston Globe. "At the end of the day, with all of the men that I've been around, to one day look back here and listen to men say, 'He was one of people who helped changed my life,' is probably one of the greatest legacies to be remembered for."
The story of the murder will always be with Lewis, even when he retires, but it is important to note how far he has come from that fateful night. The questions will remain though, since no one has been convicted for the murders.
Lewis has been to 12 Pro Bowls over his 17-year career and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award twice. He led the Ravens defense in 2000 that allowed the fewest points in NFL history and made 57 tackles with 1.0 sack and one fumble recovery in just six games this regular-season.
He has played consistently at a high level even at his advanced age and two seasons ago, Lewis had 102 tackles, his most in five years, while adding two sacks and two interceptions. During his career, Lewis has amassed 2,050 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles, 31 interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.
The linebacker holds the record for Pro Bowl appearances at his position and was part of the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000's.
