Ray Lewis a Role Model? I Think Not!

It was only a few weeks ago that I got chills watching the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis come out of the tunnel onto his home field in Baltimore one last time. You could feel his passion, and I thought that he only had a game or two before retiring. As a football player he has been fun to watch, but to call him a role model is tough for me to understand. 

In sports today it is so easy to become a villain. Look at LeBron James for instance. The dude was a free agent, his contract with Cleveland was up and he chose to leave for Miami. Not that I agreed with his move, but it was what he chose, and it hurt no one. LeBron has never been in trouble with the law, married his high school sweetheart  has two kids he loves dearly, and is still one of the most hated players in all of sports.

Now back to Ray Lewis. Sure he has played at a very high level for 17 years. His passion for the game of football may be unmatched, and he is fun to watch whether you root for the Ravens or not. But is he a role model?

Following a Super Bowl party in Atlanta on in 2000, a fight broke out between Lewis and his companions and another group of people, resulting in the stabbing deaths of two men. Lewis and two companions were questioned by Atlanta police, and 11 days later the three men were indicted on murder and aggravated-assault charges. The white suit Lewis was wearing the night of the killings has never been found. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard alleged the blood-stained suit was dumped in a garbage bin outside a fast food restaurant. Lewis' attorneys negotiated a plea agreement with Howard, where the murder charges against Lewis were dismissed in exchange for his testimony against his two companions and his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. Lewis admitted he gave a misleading statement to police on the morning after the killings.

Lewis also has six children from four women, although he has never been married.

Sure he is now a devoted Christian, and has been heavily involved in charitable activities throughout his professional career, but is he more of a role model than a guy like LeBron James? I think not!

Be careful before falling into the trap that the media sometimes present. To me Ray Lewis is a great football player, he has been fun to watch, but off the football field the guy is more of a villain than most in my eyes...