At this point in his career, Ray Lewis is revered by many as one of the most hard-hitting, ferocious middle linebackers the National Football League has ever seen. Without a doubt, it is true that what Lewis has done on the football field has been inspiring and has captured the attention of millions of NFL fans. Whether it be his in-game intensity, pregame dance ritual, or motivational words, Lewis has established his identity as a player and individual.
However, this man, in the eyes of many others’, is the epitome of all that is evil in this world. In a society where athletes are already paid excessive amounts of money, Lewis takes it to an entirely different level. He is one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL and continues to be revered my many despite his immoral off-the-field actions.
But how can a man, who has been convicted as an accomplice in the murder of two innocent people outside a Atlanta night club, be such an iconic figure years later? It is non-sensical and morally wrong that while two innocent people are lying in their graves, Lewis is living the dream, playing the game he loves, and, not to mention, compiling nearly 4.5 million dollars a year. I find it to be completely unfair that because of Lewis’s reputation and background, he was able to sneak his way out of prison while millions of other murderers around the world are doing their respective time behind bars.
On the evening of Jan. 31, 2000, two men Jacinth Baker, 21, and Richard Lollar, 24, from Akron, Ohio were viciously stabbed to death outside an Atlanta night club after the St. Louis Rams had beaten the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome. The medical examiner of the murder claimed that the murderers were skilled, precisely puncturing every vital area of the human body until the victims quickly bled to death.
The confrontation began at around 4 A.M. after Lewis and company were leaving a club called the Cobalt Lounge in Buckhead, GA. While they were waiting for their $3,000 dollar-a-day limousine to arrive outside the club, two groups of people began bickering and an altercation broke out. At first, punches were thrown and champagne bottles were broken over heads until the fighting halted, and then about 200 yards down the road, a stabbing had occurred accompanied by gunshots with Lewis and his entourage seen speeding away from the scene.
Along with Lewis were two main suspects, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, who were supposedly Lewis’ “long-time associates”. The two accompanied Lewis on his trip from Baltimore to Atlanta. According to police reports, after a day in which Lewis had been signing autographs in a local sporting goods store, his two associates managed to purchase the murder weapon in that same store.
The scene was set for a very interesting and dramatic court case, and indeed it was.
Originally, Lewis provided misleading information about the case which resulted in his immediate arrest and one-way trip to prison without bail. Roughly a month later on Feb. 12, 2000, Lewis and his acquaintances were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury on two counts of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
So there it was, plain and simple. No matter how you look at it, you clearly see a man’s name next to the word “murder”, and when it comes to killing another human being, murder is murder whether you’re an accomplice or the actual killer.
Anyways, when Lewis returned to his 8-day trial, three months after the incident, the jury was faced with a brutal decision. And following much contemplation and taking into consideration Lewis’ income, the jury decided to offer Lewis a plea bargain, which he gladly accepted. A plea bargain, in layman’s terms, is basically a deal in which one person “sells out” their friends in order to save their own rear-end. And that is exactly what Lewis did.
The jury offered to drop Lewis’ charges on murder and aggravated assault in exchange for a complete testimony against his so called “ten-year associates”. Although, as a part of the deal, Lewis had to plead guilty to obstruction of justice, a significantly less-serious crime as opposed to murder, and was forced to serve a one-year probation.
As for Lewis’ two friends, they were served with a life sentence in federal prison.
Oh, and by the way, Lewis, who makes nearly 4.5 million dollars a year, was forced to take some change out of his pockets by paying a $250,000 fine to the NFL. HOW AWFUL.
So, to put a cap on the entire situation, Lewis, who was actively present in the murder of two innocent individuals, is now running free, living the life some only dream about, a life full of money, fame, attention, and spotlight. But he’s also living a life shadowed by the death of two mothers’ children. With that being said, I want you to think about this thought for a moment. Imagine the mothers of both the victims. Imagine the pain and agony that engulfs them every time they see Ray Lewis’s smiling face on the television camera. Do you think they are smiling? Absolutely not. Ray Lewis’s nationally televised face is seen frequently and is only a reminder to those mothers of their sons’ deaths.
And on top of all this, in years following the murder, Lewis became the spawn of Jesus! He actively praises God for getting him to this point in his life, allowing him to achieve his dream, giving him the strength to persevere, blah, blah, blah. But what really dug deep under my skin, was when Lewis announced his retirement saying that “God came to him and told him it was his time to leave the game”. One of the most ridiculous, ironic, and contradictory statements I have ever heard. Sorry Ray, but last time I checked, murder is a sin, and the man upstairs does not support sinners.
RAY LEWIS’S NICKNAMES (in chronological order) by yours truly:
1. Ray Lewis the Murderer
2. Ray Lewis the Murderer, and Back-Stabbing Friend
3. And finally, Ray Lewis the Murderer, Back-Stabbing Friend, and Soon To Be Priest! (totally makes sense right?)
