It was an expensive lesson all around.”
When the mess was over, Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.
The Atlanta court system should be disgraced that Lewis was ever charged with murder, especially just 24 hours after the event. They knew where Lewis was, they had very little evidence of anything other than he was at the scene of the crime and the fact that they arrested him so quickly made him look even more guilty in the public eye. Lewis believes, and perhaps rightfully so, that he was used by the Atlanta political system as a figurehead and a pawn. They were more caught up in killing his reputation than in seeking the killers.
To many, especially those in the mass media, there will always be questions.
For me, I have no questions for Ray Lewis, other than why he didn’t answer more questions at the Super Bowl when he had a fighting chance to change any and or all of the negative perceptions about him. I’m certainly not in a position to hand out advice to Ray Lewis. But stonewalling a group of 3,000 reporters on Super Bowl media day just isn’t smart. If you want your name cleared – and based on seeing Lewis’ demeanor throughout the season, he desperately does – then you have to play the game a little better than saying “no comment” and refusing to answer questions.
No matter how angry you are, no matter how many stories have been written that are inaccurate, false or unfair, this was his chance to tell his story in real time with the cameras rolling.
And, in my opinion, he blew it horribly.
My advice to Ray
