OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The statue of Johnny Unitas will receive some company outside M&T Bank Stadium sooner rather than later.
At the Ravens’ season-review press conference on Tuesday, owner Steve Bisciotti was asked whether the organization had plans to erect a statue of retiring linebacker Ray Lewis, who played his final game in winning Super Bowl XLVII after 17 years in Baltimore. The owner confirmed it’s simply a matter of when — not if — it will happen.
“We have to work that out [as far as] where and how long it takes, but yes,” Bisciotti said. “I think he set himself apart in Baltimore sports history, and we will certainly look into it. I would not be surprised if there’s one there in the next year or two.”
Lewis will become eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
The Ravens have also begun working on designs for their Super Bowl championship ring, but Bisciotti confirmed what they will be made from after polling his players prior to the downtown parade on Tuesday.
“They wanted white gold instead of gold,” Bisciotti said. “We talked in the locker room while we were preparing for the parade. That was the only question I asked. I said we were going to start working on the designs. We have no idea what the design is going to be.”
Based on the history of NFL championship rings in recent years, you can expect the jewelry to be gaudy and flashy in celebration of the Ravens’ second world championship in their 17-year history.
“Steve assured me that he is going to design a ring that I will never wear,” said team president Dick Cass as he laughed.
