Ray Lewis: Love him or hate him?
With the Super Bowl tonight there is no doubt that many stories will be written about what goes on off the field. Ray Lewis is the center of many of these stories; the media refuses to forget his dance with the law many years ago, and yet there are many stories about his deserving the perfect Disney ending to a long and successful career.
The Pros:
Ray Lewis will end a 17-year long career with the Baltimore Ravens after tonight’s game. He played with his heart on his sleeve for the city of Baltimore, playing every game with dedication and skill. He has been selected to play in 13 Pro Bowls, is third among all active players in games started (22nd among all players in NFL history), and at the age of 37 he certainly has a just reason to retire and a fantastic career to look back upon.
Off the field Ray Lewis openly supports numerous charities and causes. Although he has a troubled past he does not let that dictate who he is in the present. Lewis charity work is well known as his faith. Lewis finds solace in his faith and family, promotes both on and off the field. He has turned a new leaf since his trouble with the law and it seems to be evident in his character. What we will see on the field Sunday night is a changed man, a man who could have fallen down and given up yet instead he chose to persevere and has gotten this far; Lewis deserves to end his career on a high note, he has earned it.
The Cons:
Well for starters, Ray Lewis has had his fair share of run-ins. In 2000, at the age of 24, Lewis was charged with the murder of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. Lewis was arrested and tried for murder yet nothing was proven in the connection between him and the deaths of the two victims.
Lewis is no stranger to trouble with the law, before the incident in 2000 Lewis was associated with a brawl on the Miami campus in 1994. Close to that time period Lewis’s girlfriend revealed to the police how he had struck her in his dorm room, yet no charges for filed.
The are numerous incidences in Lewis’ troubled past, and though he has turned a new leaf and gotten his life back on track there are many who are not satisfied. His violent past cannot be forgotten and lives were lost or damaged in association with him. Not to mention the recent steroid allegations against him–too bad his career is over so the truth will never be found out and brought to light. Has Lewis really turned a new leaf or is the media simply swept up in the hype out of desperation for a feel good story?
