Ray Lewis announces he's retiring this season

[pbmax]

Everybody knows Ray Lewis is a great player on the field.

I wonder what kind of person he will be off it. The TV guys love him so he'll probably get a gig somewhere. Can he keep his craziness contained?

I can barely take Warren Sapp on the NFL Network. When Lewis gets fired up, he's Warren Sapp x 2.

Sapp simply is a threatening clown act. He's not dumb by any means, but the hard ass schtick is hard to stomach.

Lewis is far more thoughtful, though, that doesn't mean he will succeed.

[pbmax]

Just because he got away with murder, doesn't mean he's not guilty. He just happened to not get caught.

HOF murdering career over.

He was caught, but plea bargained. Not sure we'll ever know whether the case against him was weakest of the three or if he bargained to protect himself. Hard to see a DA give Lewis up if they had better evidence on him than the other two. I always wondered if he financed their defense. He definitely helped ditch evidence.

[mraynrand]

Not to mention with Wayne Simmons. Somebody would have gotten hurt.

Brian Williams, Wayne Simmons, and Ray Lewis: That's just crazy. But Simmons was gone the next year. Like Ray in there better than Lamont Hollinquest () or a way, way over the hill Seth Joyner!

[Freak Out]

"Everything that starts has an end". I'm so moved Ray Ray.....moved to take a dump.

[Fritz]

At the time, there was talk of banning him from the NFL for his involvement, whatever it was.
There are some who insist he was more involved than was let on, but who really knows, other than he?

Ron Wolf always insisted that he had already written "Ray Lewis" on the card to turn in at the draft when the Ravens snatched him with the draft pick just before the Packers. He was one pick away from being a Packer. I suspect Packer defenses would have been different with him prowling the field. Apparently, Wolf was pretty sure he would make it through to the Packers pick, and admits he wasn't the best prepared when Lewis was suddenly gone and the Packers were on the clock. He has sort of implied that John Michels (now DR. John Michels) was somewhat of a panic pick.

You'd think a GM of Wolf's stature wouldn't be so cocksure that Lewis - or any pick - would be waiting, for certain, at his pick. I can't tell whether this is another instance of Wolf trying to burnish his legacy (he knew Ray Lewis was going to be so, so good) or if he's owning up to Michels being a poorly-researched panic pick.

[mraynrand]

"Everything that starts has an end". I'm so moved Ray Ray.....moved to take a dump.

it is what it is

[mmmdk]

Urlacher and Lewis are two of the best LBs I've ever seen play.

I love Brain Noble too; loved the effort he brought!

[Patler]

Went back and read some articles about the two "unsolved" murders to which Ray Lewis was connected.

I had forgotten how scummy I had felt he was, but I now remember.

[pbmax]

I had forgotten how there was testimony that the two friends involved had bought 2 knives at a sporting goods store a day prior to the fight. Lewis had an appearance at a sporting goods store and the two did some shopping.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-mike-bianchi-ray-lewis-0106-20130105,0,1707256.column

[Patler]

I had forgotten how there was testimony that the two friends involved had bought 2 knives at a sporting goods store a day prior to the fight. Lewis had an appearance at a sporting goods store and the two did some shopping.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sport...1707256.column

Yup, lots of unexplained things in the incident, like what happened to the knives and the white suit that Lewis was photographed wearing just minutes before the stabbings? Why originally statements by the limo driver were later changed significantly? Why there was faulty or inadequate follow up on reports from witness at the scene and at other places a similar limo was seen later? Why Lewis was given such a great plea deal in return for testimony that turned out rather meaningless to the prosecution, etc.

I'm not sure he deserves the adulation the league has poured on him over the years.

[pbmax]

We also do not know what precipitated the argument in the first place, or at least, what escalated it to knife fight.

[George Cumby]

Yup, lots of unexplained things in the incident, like what happened to the knives and the white suit that Lewis was photographed wearing just minutes before the stabbings? Why originally statements by the limo driver were later changed significantly? Why there was faulty or inadequate follow up on reports from witness at the scene and at other places a similar limo was seen later? Why Lewis was given such a great plea deal in return for testimony that turned out rather meaningless to the prosecution, etc.

I'm not sure he deserves the adulation the league has poured on him over the years.

After he was "exonerated", he said something to the press about how there are gangsters and hoodlums on every team (which I am sure is true), but he said it in such cynical, "you can't touch me" sneering way, I always remembered it.

Two more sacrificed to the God of ProFootball.

[Patler]

We also do not know what precipitated the argument in the first place, or at least, what escalated it to knife fight.

It's so long ago that I have forgotten the details; but it wasn't really even a knife "fight" was it? I don't recall anything about the victims having had weapons, just that they were stabbed repeatedly for no clear reason..

[pbmax]

It's so long ago that I have forgotten the details; but it wasn't really even a knife "fight" was it? I don't recall anything about the victims having had weapons, just that they were stabbed repeatedly for no clear reason..

I recall a lack of information about what might have some before. It was an upscaled club, and I was surprised someone did not see or hear anything prior.

[mraynrand]

Isn't it long, long past the time that assault knives were outlawed? Hasn't this nation suffered enough? next: outlaw assault LBs