A few years from now, when Ray Lewis decides to retire, the Pro Bowl inside linebacker will be celebrated as a lifelong Raven and have a statue erected at M&T Bank Stadium in his honor.
But yesterday, in fielding questions for the first time since re-signing with the Ravens, Lewis dismissed "flirtations" with other teams and repeatedly insisted that Baltimore was his first choice in free agency.
"My family is Baltimore," said Lewis, who wore sunglasses and a yellowish-tan, open-neck shirt during the half-hour interview session. "The bottom line: Was there ever a decision for me to leave Baltimore? I don't think so. I didn't visit anyone else's facility. That would have taken away from what I do for my city. When I put that purple jersey on my back, I give everything that I have for every fan that's in the stands."
Before Lewis signed his seven-year, $44.5 million contract (which is essentially a three-year, $22 million deal), he irritated some of his fan base when he didn't make it clear he wanted to return to the Ravens.
A few days before the Pro Bowl, Lewis acknowledged in an interview with the NFL Network that he would be interested in the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Lewis' explanation yesterday: "At the Pro Bowl, you have a couple of mai tais [and] you just have a great time. They ask you questions, and you answer the questions."
Then, leading up to the start of free agency, Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware said Lewis told him it was his "dream" to play in Dallas and expressed his desire to sign there numerous times. Lewis' explanation: He told Ware he dreamed of playing for the Cowboys when he was 9 years old.
"Dallas has their own legacy," Lewis said. "My legacy is with Baltimore. It's going to end with Baltimore."
Lewis didn't directly answer a question about whether any teams had contacted him. It is believed the Jets chose to sign former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott instead and the Cowboys never expressed interest.
"A lot of things can be flirtatious," Lewis said. "But the bottom line is how far are you willing to flirt. I didn't go that far. I was OK flirting with the woman I started with - and that's the Ravens."
The delay in Lewis' re-signing with the Ravens - he waited six days into free agency to do so - also caused many to wonder whether the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year truly wanted to end his career here.
