Ray Lewis forgives Wes Welker's wife for her harsh Facebook comments on his murder case as the team lands at the Super Bowl. Is the Ravens linebacker a good role model?
Ray Lewis has been able to completely reshape his image in the NFL after dealing with a murder trial in 2000. He is seen as a leader and an important figure in the NFL, so he knows something about forgiveness.
Lewis proved that on Monday as the Ravens arrived in New Orleans for the Super Bowl after being asked about the comments Welker's wife, Anna Burns Welker, made following the AFC championship game.
"I've always been a firm believer of the Good Book, and the Good Book always confirms, even a fool is counted wise until he opens he or she mouth," he told reporters. "And sometimes people just say silly stuff. And they say it out of emotion. And sometimes you need to let the game take care of the game. We lost up there last year, and I didn't hear one teammate say anything about nobody there because we have respect for that team, that they won it fair and square."
"So for her to come out and say what she said, listen, I truly forgive her, and I have no hard feelings against her at all, but I believe people just make mistakes and say foolish things sometimes," he said.
Following in the footsteps of another wife who slammed their husbands opponent following a tough loss, Welker took to Facebook following the Patriots' 28-13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game to take some shots at Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.
"Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!" Burns Welker said in a since-deleted post on herpersonal Facebook page.
The post referred to the case that Lewis had to go through after being arrested and put on trial for murder. 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.
According to the Washington Post, Welker was not the only one on social media who mentioned the case. "Fizziology, a social media analysis company, found that Lewis was mentioned more than 63,000 times on Twitter during the week of Jan. 21-27. Eighteen percent of the comments and about half of those referred to his alleged involvement in a double murder in 2000."
Following the backlash from the post and the fact that she later regretted it, Burns Welker released a statement to sports blog Larry Brown Sports apologizing for her remarks.
"I'm deeply sorry for my recent post on Facebook," she said. "I let the competitiveness of the game and the comments people were making about a team I dearly love get the best of me. My actions were emotional and irrational and I sincerely apologize to Ray Lewis and anyone affected by my comment after yesterday's game. It is such an accomplishment for any team to make it to the NFL playoffs, and the momentary frustration I felt should not overshadow the accomplishments of both of these amazing teams."
The social media chatter from Burns Welker echoes another incident from last year, when quarterback Tom Brady's wife Gisele Bundchen made some noise while waiting for an elevator at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, lashing out at the Patriots' receiving corps for failing to haul in her husband's passes as she spoke to people in her group.
Following the game she was heard saying: "My husband can not f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time," she said while waiting for the elevator to leave the VIP suites at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. "I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."
Welker is the top receiver for the Patriots, but for the second year in a row he dropped a crucial pass in their last game of the season. He dropped a ball that could have converted a first down in the Super Bowl that likely would have put the Giants too far out of reach last year and did the same again when playing the Ravens.
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.
