Ray Lewis - Announces Retirement

[Moranis]

Ray Lewis will call it a career at the conclusion of the playoffs this year ending his career at 17 years.  He may go down as the greatest defensive player ever and is certainly in the top five.  Baltimore hosts Indianapolis on Sunday in what might be his last game (though I think he will play on at least one more week).

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Best Linebacker I've ever seen. What a career that man had.

[indeedproceed]

Ray Lewis will call it a career at the conclusion of the playoffs this year ending his career at 17 years.  He may go down as the greatest defensive player ever and is certainly in the top five.  Baltimore hosts Indianapolis on Sunday in what might be his last game (though I think he will play on at least one more week).

I hope they make a deep run. And he's made the right choice here. Ray Lewis's play had really fallen off, even before the injury. Give it one last playoffs and walk away into what will certainly be a successful career in broadcasting.

[Kane3387]

Sad day. Whenever I watched ray I felt like I was watching kg in a way. Hope he reconsiders.

[SHAQATTACK]

Good.   

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Good.

Ditto. One less thing the Patriots will have to worry about.

[KGs Knee]

Best Linebacker I've ever seen. What a career that man had.

I'm guessing you never saw LT (THE REAL LT)

[pearljammer10]

What a career. One of the leagues legends on the defensive end.

[rondohondo]

I know the man is a great football player and inspirational on the field, but the guy got away with murder. If you look into it you will see he kept changing his story about that night, and destroyed the clothes he was wearing that night.....

[Kane3387]

I know the man is a great football player and inspirational on the field, but the guy got away with murder. If you look into it you will see he kept changing his story about that night, and destroyed the clothes he was wearing that night.....

Where are your informational sources? I would be interested in seeing and reading them.

[scaryjerry]

didn't junior seau retire too before Bill b lured him out of retirement? probably doubtful that scenario could happen with Lewis, but worth a shot...he can flat out still play...

[crownsy]

Best Linebacker I've ever seen. What a career that man had.

I'm guessing you never saw LT (THE REAL LT)

LT was a outside linebacker/ DE hybred. Him and Ray don't really compare since they play such diverse positions.

If you want to be specific, Ray is the best Middle Linebacker of all time, with lambert and singletary in the discussion.

If you want to open it up to "all linebackers" then LT is definitely on there...but he had a limited skill set when compared to a MLB's responsibility. He was absolutely AMAZING as a pass rusher, but he didn't cover or stop the ball.

LT wanted to sack the QB, ray wanted the ball anywhere it went on the field.

Thats why I always separate MLB and OLB, the position is really quite different, it makes no sense to just lump them all together.

Anyway, sad day, the end of an Era. he was by far the best middle linebacker and team leader I ever saw (to young to really comment on lambert or singletary).

to those saying "good" I don't think it really is, Tom was killing him in coverage the last 3 years, since he was a shell of his former self in pass coverage. He was still dynamite against the run, but the pats don't really care about that ha.

[Celts Fan 92]

im from maryland so dis is like Jordan retiring from da bulls. M&T bank betta get to makin dat Ray Lewis Statue ASAP face of da franchise man played hard EVERY GAME gonna be hard seeing us without da GOAT great motivational speaker nd player 17 years of consistent high quality ball

[wdleehi]

Best Linebacker I've ever seen. What a career that man had.

I'm guessing you never saw LT (THE REAL LT)

LT was a outside linebacker/ DE hybred. Him and Ray don't really compare since they play such diverse positions.

If you want to be specific, Ray is the best Middle Linebacker of all time, with lambert and singletary in the discussion.

If you want to open it up to "all linebackers" then LT is definitely on there...but he had a limited skill set when compared to a MLB's responsibility. He was absolutely AMAZING as a pass rusher, but he didn't cover or stop the ball.

LT wanted to sack the QB, ray wanted the ball anywhere it went on the field.

Thats why I always separate MLB and OLB, the position is really quite different, it makes no sense to just lump them all together.

Anyway, sad day, the end of an Era. he was by far the best middle linebacker and team leader I ever saw (to young to really comment on lambert or singletary).

to those saying "good" I don't think it really is, Tom was killing him in coverage the last 3 years, since he was a shell of his former self in pass coverage. He was still dynamite against the run, but the pats don't really care about that ha.

What?


LT changed the LB position. 


One of two defensive players to win the NFL MVP.



He was a lot more then just a pass rusher.

He pushed Joe Gibbs to create the two TE set.  (and create the position of H-Back.







Anyways, it was probably time for Lewis to retire.  For a decade, he was the best LBer in the game. 

[edwardjkasche]

Good.  When does he start his prison term?

A judge Monday approved a deal allowing Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis to avoid murder charges and jail time by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and testifying against two co-defendants.

Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and Superior Court Judge Alice D. Bonner sentenced Lewis to 12 months' probation, the maximum sentence for a first-time offender. Under the terms of the sentence, Lewis can not use drugs or alcohol during the duration of the probation.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard refused to say how the plea agreement was brokered but said his office made the right decision to prosecute Lewis.

[Cnnsi.com June 5, 2000]

So, he accepts a plea deal and testifies against his co-defendants...

Duane Fassett, the driver of Lewis' rented limousine, reluctantly admitted on the stand that after the brawl Lewis told everyone in the stretch Lincoln Navigator to "just keep your mouth shut and don't say nothing."

Evelyn Sparks, who was riding in the limousine, said she saw another passenger dump a white hotel laundry bag into a garbage bin outside a fast food restaurant. Prosecutors say the bag contained Lewis' bloodstained white suit, which has never been found.

Sparks also said a photograph of Lewis' entourage, taken at the Cobalt Lounge on the night of the killings, was destroyed by Jessica Robertson, a woman described as Lewis' girlfriend. "She said she burned it," Sparks testified.

[Cnnsi.com June 5, 2000]

He's accused, under oath, of orchestrating a cover-up...

On April 29, 2004, Lewis reached a settlement with four-year-old India Lollar, born months after the death of her father Richard, preempting a scheduled civil proceeding. Lewis also reached an undisclosed settlement with Baker's family.

[Sportsline.com May 2, 2004]

And, he pays off the families of the victims...

Yeah, sounds completely innocent to me.  Man, did the D.A. railroad him or what?

He's a murdering thug who took advantage of his fame and money to weasel his way out of a prison term.  I don't care if the guy can tackle.  He's a disgraceful human being.