Just a few days before the Ravens begin their 19th season in Baltimore, they will officially honor the most decorated player in franchise history by unveiling a statue of retired middle linebacker Ray Lewis on Thursday morning.
Erected next to the statue of legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas outside M&T Bank Stadium, the Lewis statue has been in the works ever since team owner Steve Bisciotti announced his intentions of permanently honoring the future Hall of Fame linebacker at the end of the 2012 season. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 13-time Pro Bowl selection was the only Ravens player to be part of both Super Bowl championships, earning Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl XXXV and winning his second championship in the final game of his 17-year career.
Lewis will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
“Most times, I’m never at a loss for words, but that’s a very humbling thing,” Lewis said in late July while attending a training camp practice at M&T Bank Stadium. “This is my home. I gave everything I had to city. To have a statue in this city, it means everything.”
The organization will hold on 11 a.m. ceremony at Unitas Plaza outside the stadium with Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass, general manager Ozzie Newsome, and former teammates scheduled to attend in addition to friends and family of Lewis. The 39-year-old will speak from the podium during the ceremony, and sculptor Frederick Kail, who also made the Unitas statue, will be present.
Fans are invited to attend the event, which is scheduled to last roughly 15 minutes.
