Ray Lewis: The Raven Who Rose Like a Phoenix

Ray Lewis left an impression on plenty of people: running backs, teammates, and the occasional quarterback. The linebacker’s most infamous impression, away from the field, was left on those involved in the murder of two Decatur, GA twenty-somethings, Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar in January 2000.

Shortly after winning the Super Bowl, Lewis was arrested and charged with being involved, along with others, in the young men’s deaths from injuries in a fight outside an Atlanta nightclub. Fourteen years later, Lewis’ involvement is still questioned. Authorities who interrogated him later described Lewis as “not cooperative at all.” Court testimony from limo driver, Duane Fassett, tore holes in the prosecution’s case. Security guard and witness Kevin Brown discredited accusations that Lewis was involved in the fight at all.

In the end, Lewis pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge for obstruction of justice  and was given one year on probation and fined $250,000. He was then hit with a $250,000 fine from then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. His testimony against Oakley and Sweeting added up, but both were acquitted in the murder trial conducted in the summer of 2000.

Since retiring, Lewis has been named an NFL analyst 

for ESPN. Photo courtesy of bleacher report.com.

The next thirteen seasons saw a Ravens’ Ray Lewis that not only rose phoenix-like from the circumstance, but secured himself a place in football glory.  He tallied 1,336 career tackles en route to an inevitable hall-of-fame bid as early as 2018. The chosen storyline of Super Bowl XLVII was Lewis’ retirement and the potential to end his career with a second ring. Countless huddle montages featured Lewis roaring to his teammates in pre-game, encouraging them to be “pissed off for greatness.” 

And retirement has been equally forgiving of Lewis, who took those fateful steps into the Atlanta City Detention Center in early 2000. Shortly after he retired, he was named a football contributor for ESPN. The impressions he left are real and varied. To NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell, he’s a “tremendous voice of reason,” providing a unique perspective into the world of the NFL athlete. To members of Baker’s and Lollar’s families, his impression is something completely different.