Ray Lewis: Hall of Famer?

          Yes, I know what you're thinking. "Kev, you put a question mark up there by mistake." Actually I didn't. This isn't a post to argue statistics, because Ray Lewis has them all. This is merely to describe a hypothetical situation. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio has halls lined with the busts of all time greats. Coaches like Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh and players like Bart Starr and Steve Young, the names that resonate with fans of the game. A 46 member selection committee is charged with the task of determining who belongs in the Hall of Fame. From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, "The Committee consists of one media representative from each pro football city with two from New York, inasmuch as that city has two teams in the National Football League. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America and there are 13 at-large delegates." These men and women determine who belongs in the halls of Canton, and anyone who gets 80% 'Yes' votes gets in. Which brings me to this question, should they pick Ray Lewis?
          Before I answer that question, let's examine how baseball selects their hall of famers. In order to be on the selection committee for baseball, you must have been a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for at least 10 years, and last year there were 573 votes cast. Anyone with 75% 'Yes' votes gets in. But here is where I make my point. According to the website for the baseball hall of fame, "Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played." And according to those criteria, apparently no one deserved to be elected this year. This was undoubtedly due to the prominent use of steroids in the era, and being linked to steroids has no doubt kept Clemens, Bonds and others out of the Hall in recent years because their use of steroids defies the "sportsmanship" portion of the criteria which I have no problem with.

Lewis in his court appearance in 2000

            The NFL doesn't seem to have this specific criteria. Only that each player will be evaluated thoroughly in the election process. Which finally brings me to Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis has been one of the most dominant defensive players that this game has ever seen. He is the only player in NFL history with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in his career, and has anchored a feared defense for 17 seasons. His numbers are mind boggling and are certainly worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. But if the NFL followed suit with the baseball Hall of Fame voters, would Lewis get in? The reason I ask this is because of an incident that happened after the super bowl in Atlanta in 2000, causing Ray Lewis and two other men to be indicted on charges of a double murder. To make a long story short, Lewis plead guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges in exchange that he testify against his two friends who end up being found not guilty (You can read the whole story here). Lewis got only a year of probation and served no jail time.
          Now in no way am I arguing that Ray Lewis was guilty of murder, though there are plenty who still feel he is. What he is guilty of, is being involved in a very messy situation, one that does not present a good image for the NFL and certainly does not teach children a good lesson about the game. To get back to my question, after being involved with such and incident, should Ray Lewis be rewarded with the Hall of Fame? In baseball, Pete Rose received a lifetime ban for allegedly betting on the game of baseball. Rose was not implicated in a murder charge, he was making money on the side by influencing the games one way or another. The all time hits leader won't make the hall of Fame because he bet on the game and "ruined its integrity." And very soon (should Lewis retire this season) another type of 'hits' leader will be eligible for selection to his respective Hall of Fame. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Lewis will be selected, and probably in his first year. But if the tables were turned, would we be so sure? Does Ray Lewis' past demonstrate character, integrity and sportsmanship? The real answer is I don't know. What I do know is this: in this day and age with sports being as prominent as they are (especially the NFL), voters should not turn a blind eye to off the field conduct. Because we should not reward athletes who have escaped the arms of the law with a slap on the wrist because of their fame.
          And now, the Ray Lewis dance we've all seen for 17 years and wondered what the hell he was actually doing...

          And on a more positive note, something we can all take away from Ray Lewis, "If tomorrow wasn't promised, what would you give for today?"