The Ravens’ Ray Lewis picked himself up from the toughest hit of his life to become one of Baltimore’s most respected sports heroes.
For 15 days in February 2000, following one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever, Ray Lewis sat in an Atlanta jail in solitary confinement and on suicide watch after being charged with two counts of murder.
As the NFL celebrated the Rams’ dramatic 23-16 victory over the Titans at the Georgia Dome, one of its rising stars was being awakened in the middle of the night by jail-house guards, just to make sure he hadn’t taken his life.
Later, he would tell reporters that, on a phone call to his family from jail, he cried when his young son asked why Daddy was on TV in shackles. The tears were for his family — and all he stood to lose.
Today, Lewis, 33, has made it clear that chapter of his life is closed. The murder charges were dropped, and he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor, in the fatal stabbings of two men outside a downtown Atlanta nightclub. His penalty was 12 months’ probation, and the NFL fined him $250,000. His friends and co-defendants, Joseph Sweeting and Reginald Oakley, were later acquitted of all charges. The case remains unsolved.
But that chapter’s end symbolizes the beginning of a journey that has placed Lewis — a nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year — firmly in the hearts of Baltimoreans. In this town, No. 52 will always belong to Ray Lewis, just as No. 8 will always belong to the Iron Man and No. 19 to the Golden Arm.
“If you want to envision the prototype of the player you want and the type of team you want, then you look right at Ray Lewis,” said Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens’ general manager. “Ray is providing as much off the field as he is on the field in terms of helping our young players understand what it takes to be a productive player and person in this league. I don’t think you can ever underestimate the value of that.”
‘Spiritual father’
On Sundays, Lewis is a menacing 6-foot-1, 250-pound defender, a punisher of ball carriers who most likely is destined for the Hall of Fame. He’s become the face of a sports-crazed city, the man who brought home the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Ravens crushed the Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV.
On the other days, he runs the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation, which provides personal and economic assistance to disadvantaged youth.
He is a partner in the Allied Athlete Group, which teaches professional athletes about fiscal responsibility. He has been recognized nationally for his community work, owns the popular Full Moon Bar-B-Que on Boston Street and fulfilled a promise to his mother, Sunseria Smith, when he received a degree in business administration from the University of Maryland in 2004.
“He’s matured so much … by understanding what he has to get done for his family,” said the University of Miami’s Randy Shannon, who was Lewis’ position coach during his stellar career with the Hurricanes. “And the Ravens and his children are his family.”
And that maturity has propelled Lewis, who left the University of Miami after three seasons to play professionally, into a role as teacher, much like retired veterans Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe, who helped him succeed in the unforgiving world of the NFL.
“My mom instilled something in me a long time ago,” said Lewis, who is single with three sons and a daughter. “I don’t keep the knowledge I’ve gained to myself. I try to pass it on. A lot of times you just get caught up in conversations. You hear some of the questions these young guys ask, and you’re like, ‘OK, since nobody else wanted to take the time to talk to you about something that simple, I will.’”
“Ray basically taught me about energy,” said rookie linebacker Tavares Gooden, Lewis’ roommate during training camp. “Even when I’m tired I can’t let my opponent know that.”
Bengals receiver Chad Ocho Cinco, who has talked about inflicting on-field pain on Lewis, pictures Lewis in a new light for guiding him through a turbulent offseason during which he publicly demanded to be traded. Ocho Cinco calls Lewis his “spiritual father.”
“He put it in more of a perspective [that] it’s a business,” Ocho Cinco said. “We all know that. But then he had me thinking about how I got to where I am. The things I went through. Understanding the blessing it is to be where I am. There are millions of people who wish they were in my shoes, doing what I do.”
The rebirth
Lewis said his turnaround began shortly after confetti rained onto the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa after the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory.
Lewis dominated the game with 11 tackles — five unassisted — and four defended passes. He became the first linebacker on a winning team to be named Super Bowl MVP. [Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley was MVP in Dallas’ Super Bowl V loss to the Colts.]
Yet his image was so tarnished that Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer was picked to say the coveted phrase, “I’m going to Disney World!” and to ride in a Magic Kingdom parade after Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis was just the fourth MVP in 15 years not selected for the Disney gig. He wasn’t picked to be among five Ravens to grace the Wheaties cereal box commemorating the team’s triumph. And in contrast with previous stars on the game’s grandest stage, Lewis was risky business in the eyes of advertisers. Endorsements don’t flow when you are less than a year removed from murder charges.
But time — and maturity — changed his marketability. He’s endorsed Pizza Hut and was on the cover of Electronic Arts’ “Madden NFL 2005” — one of the most popular video games in the world. He recently signed a multiyear deal with Baltimore-based Under Armour that included a Super Bowl commercial. His popularity among cautious companies attests to the strength of his image restoration.
“We are a very forgiving society,” said Tim Richardson, vice president of Maroon PR, a Baltimore-based firm that also works with Cal Ripken Jr. and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony. “If someone is willing to fall on their sword, admit to what they’ve done and work hard in the community they live in after that, we tend to move on.”
He is not alone in regaining face.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant emerged from rape charges to pitch Coca-Cola and Sony products. Anthony made national headlines by appearing in a “Stop Snitching” video, for being cited for marijuana possession and for being arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Now, he’s an Olympic gold medalist endorsing his own Nike shoe line.
“Time and maturity helps heal a lot of wounds,” Richardson said. “Look at Carmelo, he learned from those early mistakes and now can be seen founding a community center and running charity events in Baltimore, even though he lives in Denver. Ray Lewis has handled himself in similar fashion.”
‘He could play forever’
Lewis still plays with the same intensity that led the Ravens to select him with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 draft.
Just ask Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenall. The rookie running back’s season came to an end on Monday Night Football Sept. 29, when Lewis delivered a tortuous, shoulder-fracturing hit.
In his 13th season, Lewis remains the heart of the Ravens and is having one of his finest seasons. He doesn’t envision retirement anytime soon. He has added massages, stretching and sauna treatments to his training regimen to reduce the risk of injury.
“It only gets better,” said Lewis, who has 69 tackles entering today’s game at Cleveland. “Life only gets better when you’ve been in the game as long as I have. I still love having fun, and I love playing the way we play football. When you worry about everything else, that takes away from it.”
“I almost look at him like he could play forever,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “Most guys, there’s no way they can maintain the level he plays at, but he’s an unusual person. No question about that.”
But Lewis and the Ravens are at a crossroads.
Lewis’ $6.5 million salary makes him the highest paid player at his position. But he doesn’t have a contract for next season, so his future in Baltimore is unclear.
The Ravens are undergoing a youth movement, replacing former coach Brian Billick, then 53, at the end of last season with John Harbaugh, 46, who has loaded the roster with young talent.
Lewis repeatedly has said he wants to sign a contract that would allow him to retire as a Raven.
“I’m going to keep talking about football,” Lewis said. “[My contract is] irrelevant for what we’re trying to do right now. The bottom line is whatever we’re trying to do as a team, that’s the focus. If you talk about an individual — what I want to do, what I want to do — it means nothing.”
But the team has not said publicly that it is committed to signing Lewis to a long-term deal.
“He’s truly one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever been around,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said. “It’s genuine, it’s constant. It’s so deep-rooted that he can’t possibly be anything but a great influence on the other players.”
The same could be said for Johnny Unitas, even as he limped into retirement thousands of miles away as a San Diego Charger.
Lewis doesn’t spend much time on the future. He’s too busy focusing on the present.
“I think what motivates me is just life,” he said. “Life, period.”
CANTON BOUND?
Here is how Ray Lewis’ career stats compare to 17 linebackers who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame
Player Team(s) Years Sacks INTs Pro Bowls MVPs Titles
Ray Lewis Ravens 1996-Present 31 25 9 2 1
Bobby Bell Chiefs 1963-74 26 40 9 0 3
Nick Buoniconti Pats/Dolphins 1962-74, 76 24 32 2 0 2
Dick Butkus Bears 1965-73 N/A 22 8 0 0
Harry Carson Gants 1976-88 19 11 9 0 1
George Connor Bears 1948-55 N/A N/A 4 0 0
Bill George Bears/Rams 1952-66 N/A 18 8 0 1
Jack Ham Steelers 1971-82 32 25 8 0 1
Ted Hendricks Colts/Packers/Raiders 1969-83 60.5 26 8 0 4
Sam Huff Giants/Redskins 1956-67, 69 N/A 30 5 0 1
Jack Lambert Steelers 1974-84 23.5 28 9 1 4
Willie Lanier Chiefs 1967-77 2 27 8 0 1
Ray Nitschke Packers 1958-72 N/A 25 1 0 7
Joe Schmidt Lions 1953-65 N/A 24 10 1 2
Mike Singletary Bears 1981-92 19 7 10 2 1
Lawrence Taylor Giants 1981-93 142 9 10 3 2
Andre Tippett Patriots 1982-93 100 1 5 0 0
Dave Wilcox 49ers 1964-74 N/A 14 7 0 0
**Sacks weren’t officially tracked by the NFL until 1982
**The number of tackles for players whose careers began in the 1950s and 1960s were kept sporadically.
Here are five of No. 52’s most memorable collisions:
1. Lewis on Denver’s Keith Burns, Sept. 30, 2002: Lewis delivered a crushing hit on the linebacker to pave the way for cornerback Chris McAlister’s record-setting 107 yard return off a missed field goal on Monday Night Football. The Ravens went on to win, 34-23.
2. Lewis on Tennessee’s Eddie George, Nov. 12, 2000: The running back’s career likely was cut shorter after playing Lewis twice a year from 1996-2001. But the biggest hit George took from Lewis was during a regular season game when Lewis delivered a shot so hard George’s helmet was sent flying during a 24-23 win.
3. Lewis on Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenhall, Sept. 29, 3008: The running back probably still is feeling the impact of Lewis’ tackle that ended the rookie’s season with a fractured shoulder during the Steelers’ 23-20. Mendenhall had made headlines earlier in the week after he sent Ravens rookie running back Ray Rice a text message that he wasn’t fearful of the Ravens.
4. Lewis on Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow, Sept. 21, 2008: Lewis pummeled the tight end in the sternum as soon Winslow caught a pass over the middle from quarterback Derek Anderson. The hit caused Winslow to bobble the ball, enabling McAlister to make an interception in a 28-10 Ravens win.
5. Lewis on Kansas City’s Bam Morris, Oct. 21,1999: On a short-yardage play, Lewis lunged over a pile of linemen and met the running back in midair. The collision left Morris flat on his back.
Got another one? Please e-mail Ron Snyder at [email protected] and tell us your favorite.
