In the past week, a testy rivalry between Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and former teammate and current New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas has simmered, leaving the Pro Bowlers at each other?s throats while hundreds of miles apart.
Thomas, who left for a $35 million payday in New England, lobbed the first barb in a Sports Illustrated drool piece on the Patriots last week, saying: “You’ve got to remember, I’m coming in from Baltimore. People there wanted the limelight, people sought out the limelight, starting with the head coach. It was a star-studded system. Here it’s about as different as you can get. Everybody here shies away from being the star guy. Nobody on this team beats his chest. They just all go about their business. And win.”
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Told of Thomas? rant, Ravens coach Brian Billick said flippantly: “Was AD one of those guys concerned about being in the limelight while he was here?”
Asked on his radio show this week about Thomas? comments, Lewis went off, saying: “You?re talking about a guy, great talent don?t get me wrong, but systematically we had to fit him into our schemes. Now, is that discrediting AD? No, AD we appreciate you, but when you go and do your own thing, go and do your own thing. You got your money, be with your new team. But when you take shots at men you claim to love to go to war with, I call those cowards, because if you?ve got something to say privately, you don?t have to go to a newspaper. If you?ve got something to say to a man, speak it.”
Thomas fired back yesterday, saying Lewis complained a year ago about not having a large defensive tackle to take on blockers in his way.
The reality is, there wasn?t a bigger ego inside the Ravens? locker room last season than Thomas. Midway through the team?s 13-3 regular season, he shunned the local media in favor of chasing national coverage to prepare for his free agency. There were endless Sunday morning television and magazine cover stories about him. An ESPN The Magazine photo even had Thomas jumping out of a gift box as teammates Bart Scott and Haloti Ngata unwrapped him.
Why didn?t they just say: “Merry Christmas! Here?s a bloated head!” while they were at it?
When he was not chasing stardom, he was interrupting players being interviewed or making fun of a reporter who wore a tie dedicated to his child battling a life-threatning illness. Scott unnecessarily apologized for his teammate?s actions,but Thomas never did.
It wasn?t just the local media who fell out of love with Thomas. Everyone inside the locker room knew, just as he did, there was a big check awaiting him in another city. Outside of his business interests, including selling shirts to proft off the Ravens? playoff run, Thomas did do some great children?s charity work in Baltimore, something he should be commended on with all sincerity.
But more than anything, the rest of the country is getting a good look at what just a few of us already knew.
Matt Palmer is a staff writer for The Examiner who regularly writes columns about the NFL. He can be reached at [email protected].
