SI.com broke the news of Lewis’ use of what may or may not be an effective performance-enhancing alternative to steroids, but that’s not the real story. The real story is that the mainstream media refuses to take Lewis down from his pedestal. They refuse to paint him the way he should be painted, and they allow him every chance to decide what that painting should look like.
Lest we forget that in 2000, linebacker Ray Lewis was accused only of a misdemeanor, even though there was plenty of circumstantial evidence that he was an accomplice to murder. Forget about that. Focus on his impeccable smile, and the tears of passion he cried during the National Anthem at the AFC Championship Game.
Perhaps, when Lewis was accused last week of using banned substances to speed the recovery of his torn triceps, he simply repeated what he told the limousine driver on that fateful night in 2000, “just keep your mouth shut and don’t say nothing.”
The fact is, Lewis is an emotional fraud. The tendency of Americans to root for him based on the fact that this is his last run in the NFL is appalling, yet not surprising. Anyone living in the United States would be naïve to think that America wouldn’t back him, Ray Lewis, an accomplice to murder, a bible-boasting, megalomaniac is just like many other American celebrities, more famous than they deserve. You need only turn on your television for ten minutes for evidence of this.
It’s true, Lewis may be the greatest linebacker to ever play the game, but that’s all he is. He is not a role-model. He is not a saint (contrary to the beliefs of the NFL and ESPN). He is a highly flawed individual who once again decided he would not obey the rules, and once again the people in charge of making the rules will let him off the hook. Once again, the people who decide what America sees will allow Lewis’ bloated ego to grace the airwaves with false niceties and the cliché slogans of a good samaritan.
Unfortunately for Lewis, his latest comments paint more of a delusional evangelist rather than a pumped-up linebacker. In responding to the accusations today, Lewis was able to utter the following, impressive passage:
“I tell [my team-mates] all the time, ‘Don’t let people from the outside ever come and try to disturb what’s inside. That’s the trick of the devil. The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That’s what he comes to do. He comes to distract you from everything you’re trying to do.”
And we’re supposed to take Ray Lewis’ word on “tricks of the devil.”
If only Lewis could go back to 2000, and remind his young self that the Devil is always looming around a corner, looking to play tricks.
For more examples of Lewis’ shameless self-pity and promotion, see the following article on Ray Lewis.
The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent the opinions of Sports Jerks Network.
