Defending an MVP
Letter to the Editor
Lately, Observer articles have pointed to Ray Lewis as an evil, treacherous and murderous thug. As far as The Observer seems concerned, he might as well have played the Super Bowl in the orange jumpsuit with which we are so familiar. It seems only fair that the Notre Dame community hear the true facts and not the decidedly biased opinions of Kevin Berchou.
The truth about Ray Lewis is simple. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. Recognizing this, Lewis became the prosecution's star witness against Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting who were seen with knives that night. If there is a fight outside Boat Club and you happen to be there and picked up by the South Bend police, I'm sure you'd be telling Res-Life the same story. It is time to realize that Ray Lewis is a victim of coincidence and ignorance.
To think of the MVP as evil is preposterous. ESPN says he spends Friday nights with his family. This is true. But he also spends his summers with them and his fiancé in Orlando and flies his three children to every home Ravens game. Not to mention, how he was abandoned by his father, took care of his four siblings while his mom worked two jobs and has since bought each member of the family a home.
Lewis has taken the lesson of this incidence to heart. He councils incoming NFL players about the danger of association with the wrong people. He is involved in several service programs in the Baltimore and Miami areas. Ray Lewis has overcome the type of prejudice, criticism and ignorance that seem reserved for after-school specials to become a great football player. For all he has been through and achieved, when he is announced on sports largest stage, let the man dance for joy.
Tony Griswold
junior
Knott Hall
January 30, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, February 1, 2001
