The Feel Good Story of the Week


Everyone loves Ray Lewis. Everyone recognizes his great talent and the fact that, over the last 12 years, he's been a pretty good guy. And, aside from a weird PED accusation, since it's Ray's last game, everyone seems pretty excited to see him try to win one last Super Bowl.

But it's that time period before the last 12 years, before the Ravens won a Super Bowl that seems to get swept under the rug. That night during another Super Bowl game when Ray and some friends were out in Miami and two men lost their lives.

We'll never totally know what happened that night, but it wasn't good. And Ray was directly involved. Two men died, no one went to jail, and the next year the Ravens won the Super Bowl. Lewis was named MVP and everyone moved on.

I admire Ray's talent on the field. Doubtless he is one of the best linebackers to play the game. And by all accounts, he's done a lot to be a better person the past few years. But that doesn't make up for the death of two people.

Among the hardest things for me to accept about this Super Bowl is the Ray Lewis narrative. I join the columnist from the Colorado Springs Gazette who urged us to keep our praise for Lewis limited to his play on the field. Because if we're simply praising the man, we can't forget his past. Nor should we.

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