When Ray Lewis took the field in Baltimore on Sunday for what could have been his final NFL game, fans were treated to the usual Ray Lewis histrionics.
After riding through cheering crowds on his way to the stadium that morning, Lewis growled, screamed and danced out of the tunnel and onto the field, revving up the Ravens for a playoff win over the Colts. The only hiccup in what turned out to be a fine farewell was the near-interception Lewis dropped midway through the game.
The drop wasn’t the only anomaly on the afternoon, though. As Ravens teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo tells it, Lewis was a bit shaky before what could have been his last game, in what was his first return to action since tearing his triceps on Oct. 14.
“I’ve never really seen Ray nervous before,” Ayanbadejo said, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver. “I mean, Ray Lewis doesn’t get nervous. Well, Ray was nervous. It was a pretty amazing sight.”
Ayanbadejo was riding with Lewis to the game and tried to convince the 17-year veteran to document the day. Lewis said he just wanted to enjoy the experience, so Ayanbadejo used his phone to capture the scene from Lewis’ point of view as they drove in. After soaking in some appreciation from the fans, the two headed into the stadium for the game.
From that point on, it was all business — except maybe for that dropped interception. But Lewis could just be getting it out of his system before his next “maybe last game,” this Sunday against the Broncos.
