The Hall of Fame middle linebacker chatted with Nestor on Radio Row in 2009.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
man, life, bottom line, play, confetti, city, stay, live, game, gave, walk, lose, talk, great, ray lewis, god, memories, community, football, baltimore
SPEAKERS
Ray Lewis, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back. We’re live on radio row it is Super Bowl 43 in Tampa and I got a guy here who made the memories How do you walk in this building? How do you go through this city and not think about eight years ago Ray Lowe’s
Ray Lewis 00:13
now you you you actually don’t walk by you do think about it. That’s all I can think about the beauty of this unit is that’s why you can understand when someone says the sum about being a champion, because you will never forget that. We never I don’t care what happened. What’s the first thing
Nestor Aparicio 00:29
you think of when you think confetti?
Ray Lewis 00:35
Unless you fake a birthday boy, right? But yeah, but man that’s that’s it for me, man. Just like wow, like, we really did it. We really did like somebody because somebody’s gonna feel the other side of that sudden, somebody’s gonna feel like the world just came to an end. You see? Well you know that feeling you had in Pittsburgh? No, that’s not the field because you ain’t even there. Somebody’s gonna feel what it feels like to celebrate confetti being a world champion. That’s a totally different thing all of them come on all of them did kind of you know in the same way Oh yeah. And then it came down to always whether whoever it was it was always came down to make it one thing and one of those games and that’s what happened and the bottom line is you got to play the 60 minutes and they made a play you see those those games? You sick about a lot of other games? I don’t think he should have did this when you lose one like that. He’s got to take it on the chin the same model I gave you guys all year when loser draw. Let’s give everything we got with 60 minutes. Let’s see where we are. So the bottom line that moto played out on that day. They were better team
Nestor Aparicio 01:34
how hard is that hour after the game? How hard is the morning after the game? I mean, you know how hard the fans take and that’s what I am Ram a fan. We talked to fans all word nobody Afters playing the game like you are just listening right now. We all clearly take it very hard. And as fans I wouldn’t use the word hate but I’ll use the word whatever it is just short of haters. That’s how we feel about Pittsburgh. But we know you have relationships to go beyond that with players and that sort of thing. But losing the Steelers adds a little extra something for the city.
Ray Lewis 02:00
Yeah, I mean, I don’t care who it is. It’s anybody to go to the Superbowl. Hopefully they’re gonna hate them this conference downs and bottom line but players you don’t get into that you don’t get into the eighth thing you get into. Well, the respect thing like I told them last night. Oh, touch glory. No, don’t touch it. Man. You want to really if you’re a person who really want to better people, you really want someone else if there that opportunity was they beat you like a man fast? Go test look, go see what that confetti actually feels like. Because I can tell you, my day will never be forgotten. The day I test I can fit in a still really while I play the game well played game, but hate and all that too much. I’m saying overdrawn out. Bottom line is play the game. Give it everything you got. And once you gave it everything, you gotta be able to walk over to here. Yeah, but you know, for me, man, that’s the thing with me. That’s, that’s not my job. I’ve never done it for 13 years, you know, there’s just so much out there in the air now, where it is where that is never changed in my whole career. Bottom line, how I’ve dealt with business, anybody that’s been around me knows, I don’t deal with contracts. I don’t write contracts. I don’t do that. So for me to selflessly say, oh, I want to be here, I want to do this. So the bottom line is, that deal will be made on closed doors, whatever deal it is to be made. And the bottom line is most people in this business, you definitely guys understand that. It’s not for everybody, you don’t need to know everybody know what you’re thinking. Right now, when I’m thinking nobody needs to know that I like to keep my thoughts to myself. I like to keep my daughter to me, God, and wherever my future is gonna be it’s gonna be bottom line.
Nestor Aparicio 03:34
So will you say you want to be back in Baltimore, because they said they want you back,
Ray Lewis 03:37
no matter what they said, no matter what I say. But what I will tell you is what I didn’t say I didn’t say at all. So for everybody to keep pushing for the same thing, I can’t give you something I’ve never done like I’ve never said, oh, I want to do this I want to do it doesn’t matter. What matters is whoever is going to be in 100% better shape, and hopefully my testicles book and say, That’s my football. Because that’s ultimately what it boils down to. It never boils down to anything else. Outside of everything else we make. There’s no greater goes back now. Now you kind of understand what I’m saying. When I say what life is really about. That’s when you witness life. That’s when you remove yourself from the game to say, we’re not talking about winning or losing the game. There’s a champion, right? That’s the champion, you know, and he was the one that kept the word disappointment out of our whole season out of our own locker room. Why would you be disappointed when you see a man we talking about lands is fighting for life inside of life? You know why you got life but everything is physically breaking down here. That’s life. You know that struggles. That’s hard times. You know, of course playing this game, you’re gonna go up and down emotions, but when you can’t help yourself physically yourself, then you find the real battle of life and for us, concept wise when he took that from a team wise that’s what I was Want to get the guy’s be more understanding about this is not a game is everyday you got to glance at him to ask yourself what am I complaining about anything in life? You know because of a God gave me an opportunity to be halfway as healthy as he once was because I played with the same guy who won a Super Bowl, then sometimes we have to slow down the line because we never know what the second half of life brings us, man. So old Jay gave us a totally different perspective about life outside of game, is
Nestor Aparicio 05:25
that something you could not understood without having to go through that with one of your brothers? Eric, I had Donnie Brady earlier. Eric Turner, he’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone. And now OJ you know, we we see this we lived through this and for you, is this something that you have to be 3334 years of age to kind of understand
Ray Lewis 05:43
on the way the only way and because you see it, you see it and then you walk away from everything you’d be looking at God said no. You don’t do it. Because when you see things like that I was mentored by Eric Turner and we lose a great man like that you realize that one day all of us will leave you know so what legacy Are you leaving with people you know, do people will respect you? I don’t care people like me you know we got to have more people respect you for Eric Thomas I gotta respect Jose biggest and best the things that you grab and like when you see great man like that host of things that they’re going through man so you know the perspective of what I tried to bring them Sal was like totally different man. I’m just saying grab this opportunity with everything you got it like Am I missing so much? Grab this opportunity of life. Because after is done is done. There is no rewriting whatever is done now. So first man, you know, didn’t want it that way. You know was kind of a great balance to see so many young guys and bringing them in for the ride was incredible. Do you know how important
Nestor Aparicio 06:46
you are to our community? Do you Do I know you do a lot of praying your spiritual guy you’ve grown a lot from the rookie I met you 13 years ago for the problems in Atlanta for the championship through his re gonna stay is he gonna go? Do you know much people love you. Do you know that they want to build a statue to you and they want you to stay in Baltimore? Way Johnny, you did you know that you really but man, I carry this everywhere I go and pick their brains and the whole city. When you drive down the city three weeks ago, every building painted purple. Do you know how much a part of that you were? You understand that?
Ray Lewis 07:17
I do. Most of the time. I understand that because I am in the community so much. You know, kids tell you oh story. And kids stories used to come from their bands. And then the stories of just what is a Thanksgiving dinner, whether it’s just being out at dinner, whether it’s wherever it is, to walk around in boats was another level of life really shows the way people really appreciate what you do and how you do it. And they respect you go back and send some of our respect. And then like, you know, I’m gonna three, two years. So what we built together, the way I feel about that city. That’s why every time I go out to freakin play football, that’s easy for me. Because, you know, I do pull off myself, like I do, I put my city on my back and I say ride with me. When we get to it. I don’t care what it is, man. And that’s what I believe life is life is you know, growing communities, bringing communities together, bringing brothers together, hopefully calming down violence and all these things, man. And that’s why my focus has always been, I’m gonna take let everybody pray to me about football, I’m gonna take it to a small room and go help a bum on the street. Oh, go talk to a game number. It’s a man change your life for good for greater purpose. Forgive me, you know, Sam, but don’t just don’t go take another person’s life. Because, you know, I’m saying these are the things that we have to start addressing in our communities now. And that’s why Bolton was a community so dear to my heart because I went in the rough places where people wouldn’t go, you know, I didn’t take all these women that went in there by myself. I like to go sit down and talk to people who live in certain lives. People wouldn’t doing the things they thought I like to sit in sometimes a job infested place and say, Okay, I’m right here. I’m telling you, your decisions can still be a decision to walk out. The red. These are the challenges these things always made me think,
Nestor Aparicio 09:00
well, you lived through that with Marlon 13 years ago. Hey, what are those old shirts
Ray Lewis 09:05
never come in nothing. Nobody has ever lived my life wherever. I keep them in prayer. Keep them in constant memory of always understand how great life really is. And that’s why I don’t dwell much. I don’t dwell much man. Because you can’t, you know, because we selfishly walk around as if life is promises every day. But the sad part of this somebody was murdered last night. So my loved ones last night. It’s just facts, is facts. And when you lose somebody, man, it shows you a greater glimpse in what God is trying to show us. And that’s why the Good Book says live says Don’t say worry, it don’t say trying to fix your problems. Don’t say worry about this where it says live. And that’s the things that we got to start doing in life is living because I have time on this earth. Every skill, every ability, every wherewithal to do anything he wants to do in this business. I said that from day one. I’m one of his greatest apples because I believe he has everything that what it is that to be rich. And the most harmless guy, you’re gonna really start to know me, you kind of open up to but he opened up much. But if you were to start to get into him, and that’s what you appreciate about gentlemen, that’s one thing I love about Joe. That’s why playing with those guys man. The thing I try to tell these guys most of the time, stop training your memories he makes man right guys like him and Ray Rice erotica, they make you live, they make you live without words, you know, they make you stop thinking so much just playing just live. And these are the things that you appreciate what you want to talk about.
Nestor Aparicio 10:35
Staying in Baltimore, obviously important to that important to you what these next six or eight weeks, is it uncomfortable for is Bashar at the same question. This is awkward, I think for you. I think it’s awkward for them. And certainly the fans are the children in the middle of this thing. Because we want you to they know we want you you know they want you but then it comes down to money. And it’s about business. And you’re right that shouldn’t be brought out. I mean, I’m not expecting you to sit here and say I’m definitely staying I’m definitely not staying. But deep down somewhere in there, you know, in the back of your head, would you’ve ever picture yourself in another jersey. I know we have it. But I’ve also saw Shannon Sharpe saying telling you stay, Joe Montana sat in his chair yesterday and said he should play work. Now, of course, they didn’t want him to San Francisco anymore. But we still want you involved.
Ray Lewis 11:17
Oh, whenever the season comes home, and he’s gonna come out. Like I said, for me, I confused my life. If I dealt with that much I chose God to watch, I do and I always have, and always will. And that’s why that’s why a lot of things good or bad, man, I keep it. I keep it moving. Because you can’t, you can’t stop and and and wait on all of that. It’s too much. All you can do is keep doing what you’re doing, helping your community, bless the men to be better people and just living your life. You know, I’m saying your legacy, my legacy will be when it comes to football. What I did on a football field, my legacy will be what I did, as men. And for me, it don’t matter. It doesn’t matter. That’s what I’m saying everybody, it withdrawn it withdrawn is so big. And realistically, me. I haven’t thought about it once. And that’s why I won’t comment on it. Because it’s so irrelevant. When the bottom line of everything comes down. It’s going to be less than five minutes when whatever it says is made. So as you’re prepared to make that decision, um, the period of doing the thing that guy has to do, and that’s why that’s why my piece is with him. And that’s why about this.
Nestor Aparicio 12:26
I gotta give you two minutes you get up at x box because I know that your people are here. You’re here promoting your stuff. You got a heck of a commercial going on to one Sunday. That’s
Ray Lewis 12:33
hilarious. Yeah, I’ve been checked to do a couple of things, you know, my career. That’s a good thing. That’s a good thing. I mean, you’re doing a couple of good things, man. And you know, it’s
Nestor Aparicio 12:44
what are you doing? Tonight? I’m
Ray Lewis 12:45
actually involved in Xbox 360 Tournament
Nestor Aparicio 12:50
game where he played absolutely any good. He’s good on the field. For me, look if I could beat you with tiddlywinks, I’d say I’d be Ray Lewis Listen to me very healthy wrestler right now.
Ray Lewis 13:01
There’s nothing in my house I don’t do well
Nestor Aparicio 13:11
tonight and has 52 and he isn’t good enough and
Ray Lewis 13:16
we are making play row time like Matt Matt and Bo know EA Sports they they’re great people we’ll be working with and things like that. So it’s gonna be a great time now and the crazy part about technology and on took off so much that you complain about across the world. So you now you’re playing people in Japan,
Nestor Aparicio 13:35
Tokyo mega city beat Ray Lewis.
Ray Lewis 13:37
If they go with me I might change my screen name every other week.
Nestor Aparicio 13:41
We will afford a commercial a weekend we and I think we speak for everybody to see everybody. We don’t want you to go brother. We hope it works out
Ray Lewis 13:48
for you says you guys. Man we love our city. does not love us
Nestor Aparicio 13:51
my city. Always stay at me to help you out. They will tell you right now we don’t beat the salary yet. We didn’t start a fun hey, look
Ray Lewis 14:13
we got to keep my city
Nestor Aparicio 14:16
yep, I will see you in some yellow Ray Lewis
