Ray Lewis is considered by many to be the game’s top linebacker. His all-out style and bone crushing hits have brought comparisons to greats like Dick Butkus and Lawrence Taylor. He has become one of the most high profile players in the game, a team spokesman, and a celebrity endorser of many products. But things didn’t come easy for Ray Lewis. The former Miami star has had a lot of adversity to overcome in his long journey to the top, and his story is one of faith and triumph of the human spirit.

In 2000, Lewis and a group of friends were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. According to police reports, the group had an altercation with another group of men outside a Tampa nightclub and the ensuing fray resulted in the stabbing death of two of the men. Lewis and his entourage were immediately arrested and charged, leaving Lewis’ football career in jeopardy.

"Those were dark days for me," said an emotional Lewis. "After we killed those guys, I wasn’t sure if I would ever get to play the game I love again. I was really down in the dumps, but I never gave up."

The courageous Lewis, never one to back down from a challenge, was able to avoid jail time by testifying against his friends. As a result, he escaped punishment and was able to return to the field, but not before his reputation was badly tarnished.

“The most important thing in a man’s life is his reputation," saidLewis. "And after killing someone, its incredibly challenging to repair your reputation, to let people know ‘hey, I made a mistake, but I learned from it, and you know what? I’m a stronger person now than I was before we killed those guys’"

To be fair, it was never determined which person actually did the stabbing. Prosecutors did not have enough evidence to pin it on Lewis or his friends, but most assume that someone in his entourage committed the act.

"Of course it was one of us," said Lewis. "Who do you think did it, the tooth fairy?"

After the trial concluded, Lewis was able to walk free and prepare for the upcoming season. But little did he know, the trials and tribulations were not over. They were just beginning.

"My reputation was destroyed. Everywhere I went people were calling me a murderer. The media wouldn’t get off, wouldn’t let me go n with my life. And the worst thing was we got to the Superbowl that year so I was really in the spotlight. You know how the media is, the didn’t want to talk about football, they just wanted to talk about stuff I had already put behind me, like the murder of those guys."

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Ray Lewis was not about to let this adversity drag him down and stop him from fulfilling his dream of winning a Superbowl. In fact, he played such a great game that he was named MYP.

Teammates say they draw inspiration from Lewis’ story. Whenever the team has their backs against the wall, they can look to ray as a shining example of overcoming adversity.

"Every time we have a fourth and one and we gotta make a stand, Ray comes into the huddle and gives us a pep talk," said one teammate, who asked not to be identified. “He’ll say something like ‘I faced a fourth and one before, but it wasn’t on the football field. It was a fourth and one in my life. You know, the murder thing. If I can overcome that, we can make this stand.’ Hearing something like that really gets you going. Actually, it freaks you out a little, but in a good way."

Says coach Brian Billick: "Ray’s the kinda guy that’ll stand up in front of the team at halftime and convince em that we can still win the game. I mean, when you’ve been down and out like he has, you know a little about life. Certainly, we all weep for him and what he was forced to go through after that unfortunate incident, but we also draw inspiration from him. He commands respect in the locker room. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that his teammates are scared shitless of him. And so am I. Help us"

Copyright 2003, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.