 |
| Bernie Kosar at The U |
For those
uninitiated with me, I am a lifelong Denver Broncos fan. For some odd reason, I also chose the
University of Miami as my favorite college football team when I was young. It could have been my rebellious nature that
led me to them. It could be that my Dad
also joked that I threw a football like Bernie Kosar, a UM alum. Whatever the reason was, I’ve been cheering
for them as long as I can remember.
The Super
Bowl featured two all-time great from The U; Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. I was emotionally invested in a big way
during the game. We all know it was
Ray’s “last
ride”, but also important to me, this was Reed’s first chance at a
championship in the pros. He is one of
the greatest players I have ever seen play and thought he deserved the
recognition as a Super Bowl champion.
While trying to enjoy the powerful NFL Network interview with Ed
Reed, I made the mistake of turning my social media on. I could not believe the hate and ignorance
that filled the landscape.
 |
| Ed Reed with the trophy |
The comments
that pored over through Twitter and Facebook were focused on the murder trial
of Ray Lewis from January of 2000. I
expected that to be brought up again by lazy media members who wanted to rehash
the story during the two weeks leading up to the game. I expected a few individuals to chime in with
their tasteless jokes, as the internet is a haven for classless comments.
I didn’t
expect some of those to be friends of mine, people I know well. People I have known for years that have never
said a word about Ray Lewis to me, despite them knowing how big of a fan I am,
started chirping the second the Ravens made the Super Bowl. I would post something on Facebook, and
moments later, would be hit with comments that were not acceptable or welcomed
on my page. One comment went so far as
to say, “How easily we forget…”
 |
| Ray Lewis in court in 2000 |
While it is
not as malicious of a comment as others, I sincerely did not appreciate the
implication that as a Ray Lewis fan for 20 years, I have no memory of this
turning point in Lewis’ life. You can’t
be a fan of him without constantly defending him. It didn’t matter that the majority of people involved
with the case knew that the prosecution was overreaching in charging
Lewis. It didn’t matter that the
prosecution didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Once an accusation like this is out there, it’s stuck like a scarlet
letter and nothing can remove it. For
some reason, though, the hate for Ray Lewis grows while others accused of a
crime dissipates over time.
 |
| Kobe Bryant leaving a Colorado courtroom in 2004 |
There are some
that still hate Kobe Bryant and believe he raped a girl in Eagle,
Colorado. Although, the moment he won
another championship, those voices seemed to quiet a bit. The attacks after that on Bryant came more at
his on-court play than anything off the court.
Lewis’, however, seems to be the complete opposite. The voices get louder and angrier. I have a hard time grasping this. The Bryant case had actual evidence. The Bryant case did not crumble. It became more “he said, she said”. Yet in Lewis’ case, despite the case against
him being as flimsy as a wet piece of paper, the public has branded him as a
murderer. He can’t escape it no matter
what, and neither can his staunchest supporters.
I’m not
going to sit here and debate the case.
You have your mind made up one way or the other by now. I just wish we could all concede the
following facts when discussing the murders:
- No one
reading this was in the Atlanta nightclub the night of the murders.
- No one
reading this was in the limousine as it left the scene.
- No one
reading this was in the hotel rooms of anyone accused of the crime.
- No one
reading this was in the courtroom.
- No one
reading this has any physical or DNA evidence linking Ray Lewis to the murder.
- If the
prosecution actually had something, they would not have presented him with a
misdemeanor plea deal.
I know that
this is not a perfect world and that some will never concede anything, but the
above is all true. Love him or hate him,
none of us really know.
I understand
Schadenfreude. Taking in joy in the
shortcomings of others is natural as a sports fan. I don’t understand trying to tear someone
down during a tremendous moment in their life.
I’d like to just chalk it up to jealousy, but there seems to be something
much deeper here. It’s a depth I don’t
think any of us are comfortable going to because it requires us to look within
ourselves and expose our biases. It’s
not something that can be wrapped up neatly in a blog. It’s up to you, the reader, to take a moment
of introspection and find why this hatred festers.
It’s great
that everyone has a voice, and social media has allowed us to use it to the
fullest. Sift through the poor grammar
and horrible spelling and you can stumble across some great minds putting
thought-provoking ideas out into the world.
The flip side is that everyone has a voice, and that allows for
hate-filled speech to ring out through the world. We live in a world where it is too easy to
throw stones, despite the fact that we all live in glass houses. No one walking this planet is perfect and
we’ve all made mistakes. Ray Lewis
firmly believes that only God can judge him, which is a belief I also
share. Who are any of us to cast
judgment and hate towards someone without having evidence to support the claim?
So what is
it about Ray Lewis that keeps the hatred alive?
Is it the murder accusation? Is
it his success that sparks jealousy? Is
it racially based? Is it his outward religious
beliefs? We’re never going to know the
answers to these questions because he means something different to everyone.
I know two
things, though. I will forever be a fan
of his and I will forever have to defend that.
No comments:
Post a Comment