After severe bump, the Raven’s linebacker has sped past street image
Super Bowl XLVII has a lot of firsts. The event will see its first pair of brothers coach against each other, first-time quarterbacks in the big game, first appearance for either team in over a decade, and the first martyring of an NFL player.
In correlation with the multiple firsts, comes a few seconds as well. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will be making his second NFL World Championship appearance of his 17-year career. It will also be his second Super Bowl as a once accused murderer who pled guilty to obstruction of justice for his involvement in a double-homicide.
The evidence seemed overwhelming. Lewis was involved in a confrontation with the victims, his limo had traces of one of the victim’s blood inside it, and the white suit he was wearing has not been seen since that night. Despite these circumstances, 13 years later, Ray Lewis has been all over your television screens the past month.
(Credit: Sports Illustrated)
On January 2, Lewis announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the Raven’s playoff season. After three straight wins, Lewis’ career, win or lose, will end February 3 at the Super Bowl. He will take with him 13 Pro Bowl selections, 10 All-Pro teams, two NFL defensive player of the year awards, a Super Bowl MVP trophy, and arguably America’s biggest redemption story of all time.
How did Lewis go from being a villain with blood on his hands to a saint, one-win-away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy? The answer is image rebuilding, time, and winning.
Yes, in America, a person can be convicted of obstruction of justice in a double-homicide and reverse the attitude of on-lookers by playing a game at a hall-of-fame level. America is the land of opportunity, whether it be your first or second try at it. This society loves to give people second chances, especially athletes. If Ray Lewis did nothing else but play football at a high-level and not, at the very least, obstruct again, his gory past would be all forgotten. Yet the Raven’s linebacker decided to take his image rebuild to the extreme, and has done so effectively.
Ray Lewis’ new image is built around his faith. Whether you believe it is genuine or not, the Raven’s linebacker is in your face about it at a near Tebow-like rate. Last year in a documentary on NFL Network, he claimed that “God had to incarcerate [him]” to help Lewis appreciate his life. In his retirement speech, Lewis stated that “God is calling in so many other areas of life” and that it was time to step away from football. After he and his teammates beat the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on January 20, Lewis crumbled to his knees in front of reporters, cameramen, and fans thanking God for his goodness. Minutes later, Lewis would announce to the world that “God is awesome” in a post-game interview.
It is certainly hard to argue with most of Lewis’ cries. I like God too. In fact, most people are big fans of their God. This is why it is so hard to dislike the guy. Viewers see a man who pours his heart and soul into his job, laying it all on the line for his teammates, being the consummate leader. Add in God and the memory of his involvement gets cloudier to the point of almost non-existence.
The Super Bowl is a media frenzy. Anything and everything a participant says during the two-week long pregame is magnified. Broadcasters of all sorts need something to talk about whether it is 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s bicep, Bernard Pollard’s statement on the potential demise of the NFL, or the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other. The story that has been heightened above all is Lewis’ journey to redemption.
What was once a public relations nightmare for Lewis and the Raven’s organization as they went through trials, litigations, and public scrutiny has turned into the ultimate PR success. The NFL has made Lewis the face of Super Bowl XLVII, a spiritual advisor for the league and its players, and an ambassador for the league’s Play 60 charity for kids. There has been no mention of his criminal record, only insinuation as the media plays up his love for God.
Almost 13 years to the day, Lewis was involved in a confrontation that left two men stabbed to death. Today he will sit down with the “who’s who” of the journalism world during the Super Bowl’s media day. He will converse, laugh, answers questions, and undoubtedly talk about God’s plan. A mysterious plan that seems to include the killing of two men and has led to the resurrection of one Ray Lewis.
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