OT: Should Ray Lewis be inducted into the Hall of Fame
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
"Oakley and Sweeting were acquitted of the charges in June 2000"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Lewis
His friends were acquited. Also, what's the point of having a judicial system when charged = guilty in everyone's mind?
January 23rd, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
I don't think that anyone believes that the judicial system is useless and that being charged equals guilt. On rare occasions the general public disagrees with a trial verdict (OJ trial) and feels as though the defendant actually committed a crime, despite being found not guilty.
I don't know whether or not Ray Lewis stabbed those men to death, but I am pretty sure he had some role those murders.
That being said, he's definitely going to be in the HOF
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:51 AM ^
Without question. It's not the hall of really nice guys who played football. Not the murder charges were dropped and he paid his price for his involvement. Hate the man if you want, think of him as a murderer, blame the justice sytem if you want...none of that matters in regards to his hall of fame claim (imho).
Granted, I also think Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe should be in but that's just me.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^
Absolutely he should be in. Should the HoF kick LT out for all the stuff he's done?
By "off field problems" (plural, according to your post), are you referring to the murder in 2000? Obviously that's a massive issue, but he seems to have been a model player since then. Plus, the legal system did their thing and Lewis plead down to an obstruction of justice charge. I don't know that the HoF committee is really in a position to declare Lewis guilty of something that he was never actually found guilty of. (Preemptive "yes I know, 'not guilty' does not mean 'innocent'" response.)
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:00 PM ^
Because the courts are always right.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^
I would argue he hasn't been the best MLB in the league for a number of years, but your point is still basically true, and there's no way you can keep a guy that dominant out of the Hall.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^
Unless... nope, can't think of anything.
Yes.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^
If you are going to consider the murder charge, we also need to bring up some of the good things he has done since then. A few years back didn't he help a kid whose grandmother died (the exact details are excaping me). I'm just saying if you want to start with the off the field stuff, be sure to mention the positive stuff, too.
First ballot HOFer.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:57 AM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:01 PM ^
yeah, but that kid was *real* annoying to be around, you know? It may not balance the scale completely, but it makes it a lot closer to equal.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:00 PM ^
He's done a ton of good for his community, from charity work to working with police departments in the area. Definitely a changed man from the time of the incident. If he was found guilty it would be another story obviously, but as is he's a first ballot HOFer without a doubt.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^
"I don't know!"
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^
He should've been put in jail for murder one in 2000. Since he wasn't and continued to play at a high level he should be put in for that. I hate the guy but he's a great player.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^
It still amazes me how little press he has gotten for the murder charges in recent years. He was convicted of obstruction of justice, admitted to misleading the police the day following the murders, and the white suit he wore on the the night of the murders has never been found. Sorry you don't just throw out a suit unless something happened and you are getting rid of the evidence. He has been a relatively good citzen since, but is hardly the role model the media has been portraying him as.
I mean the best case scenario was that he was only present while his friends stabbed two people to death.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
I hadn't heard.
He is definitely in. The media love is insane right now and will still be there when his time for a vote comes up. Plus, he is a pretty damn good football player.
I hate the obstruction of justice conviction, especially since it relates to a murder. Obstructing a murder is a bit worse than obstructing a misdemeanor investigation.
I will not cheer for him, but I agree with most that there should not be a morality clause unless it relates to a cheating. A morality clause would be too much of a slippery slope and would most likely not be applied evenly.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:00 PM ^
random sports radio topic call-in bait?
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:01 PM ^
Considering everyone kills people, he's done no worse than you, me or anyone else. And on the field, I can't think of another middle linebacker this century that's been as good as him. Get his bust ready.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:02 PM ^
Plenty of other players are in the HOF who did bad things, Lawrence Taylor used cocaine during games. The off the field incident doesn't make Ray Lewis any less of a player.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:06 PM ^
The point is no one is a saint, but that shouldn't take away what they accomplished on the field.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:05 PM ^
Did he find his white, bloody suit yet?
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^
gave it to Lennay Kakua to have it dry cleaned. Hasn't been seen since.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
This is quickly becoming worse than the MSU intergalactic meme
ND shame is still fair play, but you have to work a little harder at it
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^
No. He's a stupid poo-poo face.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^
is in the Hall, Lewis was only convicted of obstruction of justice.
He's been the best linebacker of this generation. He's in.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^
I am kind of suprised at the sentiment around here. This is the same blog that routinley has a collective aneurysm over duis pot charges and ncaa violations. In my opinion all of these things pale in comparison to murder. In case you don't know what obstruction of justice means it means he intentionaly mislead police or destroyed evidence in the murder case.
Some of you say we should take LT out of the HOF if we keep Lewis out. I don't recall him ever being implicated in a murder. Lots of drug charges and such like but no murders.
Can a man change his life around? Yes, does it sound like Lewis has? Sure. But to act like the whole thing was no big deal and it shouldn't even be brought up when discussing his career is wrong.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
But when we get into fits over small bags of pot, you're forgetting the context. If someone on Ohio's, ND's, or MSU's team gets into trouble, no matter what they did, it automatically ranks just under Stalin in terms of crimes against humanity. It's a scientific fact. If it has no effect on UM, then well, meh. Also science.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
one of the rapists. There are probably enough players to have a wing for players who would be in jail if it were not for their adoring public and high-priced defense teams.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
You are totally correct. This is why I sometimes have a hard time with sports. I love sports but I can't stand the fact that some athletes get away with things that anyone else would at the very least lose there job over or more likely go to jail.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:34 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:50 PM ^
I love LT (Giants fan here), but he was convicted of statutory rape a few years ago for having sex with an underage hooker. He said that she said she was 19, but no one will ever know if that was true, and there was some reason to believe that he had specifically sought out an underage girl.
Maybe the more interesting question here is whether these football players can use ECT as an excuse for things like this in the future.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
He's a lock. He also epitomizes why I can't give two shits about professional football.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
but I don't think he's ever been convicted of anything. So given that, he's one of the greatest MLB's of his era and one of the great team leaders too. Seems like he should get it pretty easy
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^
He was involved in a crime - I think most us will agree to that. The argument is whether that will or should keep him out. Please pay attention.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
The Hall of Fame would put him in right now if they could. He has a 100 percent chance of making the HoF.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
Yes, hes a first ballot hall of famer. What pisses me off is how much attention he is getting but Tony Gonzolez has barely been a fly on the wall and is probably the test ever at his position and Ray Lewis is not. His damn mouth is what gets him on ESPN.
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
but the part about his mouth was right on the mark. I still think of his post game interview when he was blubbering and said "no one gave us any chance coming in here. No one thought we could achieve victory, but we did...blubber blubber blubber....victory is ours....blubbler blubber blubber..."
Honestly that was the biggest crock I have ever witnessed.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:24 PM ^
I don't see any way in which they avoid him getting in to the HOF. 13 pro bowls, won a super bowl (potentially a 2nd soon), super bowl MVP, 10x all-pro, only member of the 40 sack & 30 INT club. He's got the creds. Yes, there was the shady thing with the murder coverup, but OJ Simpson is still in the HOF, it isn't like they went and retroactively booted him out based on what he did, which was worse than Lewis' crime. It is for on-field performance only, and since he did it so well for so long, he's a lock to get in, regardless of my or anyone else's personal feelings on the subject of his character or lack therof.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
a serious question?
Obviously a first ballot HOF inductee. One of the all time greats.
No different, in my mind, than asking if Kobe should be in the HOF. Had some off field issues, but certainly nothing that would affect his HOF status.
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
I would say there is a great deal of difference between a guy cheating on his wife and a guy involved in the murder of two people. Maybe I missed the sarcasm, but saying there's no difference between the two is one of the most ignorant things I have ever read on this blog (ignorant meaniing uneducated, not ignorant meanig rude).