Super Bowl 47 will be remembered as Ray Lewis’ last game of his career. Over his 17 year career, he has been one of the greatest defensive players of all time and one of the smartest, outsmarting some of the best quarterbacks in the league. However, it was not always that way and a decision he made 13 years ago almost cost him everything.
Back in 2000 when Ray was only in the league for three years, he made a bad decision that will haunt for the rest of his life. Lewis went down to Atlanta for Super Bowl at that time and went out to one of the night clubs. The next morning, two men were stabbed and somehow Ray Lewis was involved.
There was evidence pointing towards Lewis and two other men and he was looking at his life ending right there. However, the murder charges were dropped and Lewis pled guilty to obstruction of justice and was ordered to pay millions to the two families in a civil suit. Currently, nobody is in jail for this vicious crime and nobody is paying for the loss of two lives. That is the true tragedy in the case, but it also bore a role model for young men.
When most athletes get in trouble with the law, it seems that they can never make a real comeback. Ray Lewis not only made a comeback on the field, but he also became a motivational speaker off. He showed people that just because you make a mistake, does not mean your life has to be over. His career has been a journey of reshaping his image and becoming an NFL ambassador. He fought hard for a second chance and earned back the respect of most people.
While some may not be able to overlook his involvement in a double murder, I choose to judge the journey he took for redemption. I judge how he recovered from such a personal scandal and he has done everything to grow and learn from his experience. Isn’t that what life is all about? We all make mistakes, but it is how you grow from those experiences that define you? As Lewis looks to face the biggest game of his career, regardless of the outcome, he can be happy to know that he showed young men that you can fix your own life with hard work.
You go babe!