Ray Lewis might be a pariah in Atlanta, where he was once charged with murder, but he’s a hero in Baltimore.
So much so that the Ravens are planning to erect a statue of Lewis outside their stadium.
The team made the announcement Thursday on Twitter: “Steve Bisciotti says there will be a statue of Ray Lewis going up somewhere around M&T Bank Stadium.” Bisciotti is the Ravens’ owner.
And later, “Ray Lewis will get a statue outside of M&T Bank Stadium. Could happen within next year or two.”
“Bisciotti on Lewis statue: ‘He set himself apart in Baltimore sports history and we will certainly look into it.’ “
Lewis retired after the Ravens won the Super Bowl on Sunday. He played his entire 17-year career in Baltimore, where he was part of two Super Bowl championship teams.
To many Atlantans, however, Lewis is anything but a hero.
He was charged with murder when two men were stabbed to death in Buckhead after the 2000 Super Bowl in Atlanta.
Eventually, a judge approved a deal allowing Lewis to avoid murder charges by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction charge and testifying against two co-defendants.
He was put on probation for one year and fined $250,000 by the NFL. The co-defendants were acquitted by a Fulton County jury.
