UNDERSTANDING Ray

Sporting News, The, Feb 14, 2000 by Ken Rosenthal

Ray Lewis' life has been shaped by on-field triumphs off-field troubles and so trying to get a picture of him becomes a proposition

Ray Lewis wears a T-shirt with a picture of his late friend Marlin Barnes under his game uniform. Barnes was slain in a double murder one week before the Baltimore Ravens selected Lewis in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft.

Ray Lewis wears a tattoo of a black panther on his right chest in honor of the late Raymond King, his mentor growing up in Lakeland, Fla. King was shot dead during an attempted bank robbery in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1993.

Ray Lewis wears another black panther tattoo below his right shoulder in honor of the late Timmy Moore, a former high school teammate. Moore was murdered a month before Barnes.

After all that, is it even possible that Lewis, the Ravens' Pro Bowl middle linebacker, could be capable of double homicide?

Maybe not, but Lewis, 24, is no stranger to violence.

He knows what it is to grieve. And he knows what it is to be be accused.

It seems there are as many sides to Lewis' personality as there are versions of the deadly brawl that occurred outside the Cobalt Lounge in Atlanta's Buckhead district after a night of Super Bowl partying.

An arrest warrant issued, by Atlanta police stated that Lewis "repeatedly stabbed" the two victims, Jacinth Demarus "Shorty" Baker, 21, and Richard Dameco Lollar, 24. Lewis' attorney, Ed Garland, said the player was unaware anyone had been killed when he and others left in a limousine.

At the very least, Lewis appears guilty of running with a dangerous crowd, an issue that Ravens officials had planned to discuss with him after the Pro Bowl. But Lewis never made it to Honolulu for the third All-Star appearance of his four-year career.

Who is the real Ray Lewis?

The faithful son who moved his mother, younger brother and three sisters into a suburban Baltimore home after signing his first pro contract? The emotional, gregarious leader of the NFL's No. 2-ranked defense? The fan favorite who donated time and money to the Police Athletic League in Baltimore? Or, is he the man who appears as prone to violence off the field as he is on it?

Two months before the Atlanta murders, a woman accused Lewis of punching her in a bar outside of Baltimore. A Baltimore County prosecutor said he likely would drop the charges after receiving information that Lewis might not have been near the alleged victim.

During his three-year career at the University of Miami, two of Lewis' former girlfriends--both pregnant with his children-accused him of physical abuse. No charges were Fried in either case, and Lewis has maintained a relationship with one of the girlfriends, Tatyana McCall of Orlando.

Three incidents, no arrests. Rather than learn from such wakeup calls, Lewis reputedly grew enraptured with the trappings of fame, acquiring entourages that included three, four and sometimes five people at social functions. Among those were paid "bodyguards."

To Lewis' family, friends and teammates, the only explanation for what happened in Atlanta is members of his entourage grew out of control.

"I don't know what the people around him might have been doing, but ... knowing Ray like I do, this is not something I can see him being involved in," Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary said. "I believe he got caught off guard."

Lewis' attorney, Ed Garland, described the player as a "horrified bystander."

But why would Lewis even place himself in such a compromising position, jeopardizing all that he had gained? He signed a four-year, $26 million contract with a $7 million signing bonus on November 19, 1998. His rise to stardom could have served as an inspiration.

Lewis grew up in a single-parent home, occasionally living with a grandmother. He made the qualifying score on the standardized test required to play major college athletics on his fifth try. He predicted greatness for himself after his first game as starter at Miami, and delivered on that promise.

He was born Ray Jackson, but his father deserted him as an infant, and Lewis eventually took the name of a close family friend. His father had been a wrestling star at Kathleen High School. Lewis also wrestled, and seemed intent on eliminating his father's legacy.

"Somebody gave me the record book, so I put that book in my locker," Lewis said before the 1996 draft. "I broke every single record he ever owned so I could erase his name from every place and replace it with my name."

Lewis failed when he attempted to reconcile with his father by giving him $5,000 of his $1.3 million signing bonus as a first-round draft pick of the Ravens in 1996. But he is extremely close to his mother, Sunseria Keith, 39. And he has never lacked for friends.

At Miami, Lewis was close with Barnes, his roommate, teammate and fellow linebacker. Barnes' funeral took place on the day Lewis was drafted by the Ravens. "I can't bring Marlin back," Lewis said shortly after the draft. "The only thing I can do is let his spirit live on, do the things he wanted me to do."