Ray Lewis Has Become 'Caricature of [Himself]' Former Wide Receiver Amani Toomer Says

Count former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer among those who have had enough of Ray Lewis.

Toomer played against Lewis in Super Bowl XXXV, and while he says he has great respect for the linebacker as a player, he has grown tired of Lewis stealing the spotlight from his Ravens teammates.

“It’s definitely all about him,” Toomer, who now works for NBC Sports Radio, told USA Today on Wednesday. “Once a guy goes to the center of the field, goes into the victory formation on the last play of his last home game … I just don’t think the Giants or any organization I’ve ever been a part of, even growing up, would allow somebody to single themselves out like that.”

Lewis has announced that Sunday will be his final game in the NFL, which has been the primary storyline following Baltimore throughout these playoffs. The future Hall of Famer has ramped up his already bombastic on-field persona — including elaborate dance routines and emotional press conferences — over the past month, to a point that Toomer feels is beginning to border on ridiculous.

“If you single yourself out after you make a play, that’s one thing,” he said. “But to walk out on the field reminds me of the WWE, like The Rock coming out. You’re becoming a caricature of yourself. It’s exhausting. I don’t know why somebody would want that.”

Luckily for the former wideout, Sunday will be the last time we’ll see Ray Lewis on the sport’s biggest stage. Until he begins his reported gig as an ESPN analyst, that is.

Photo of the Night

Ravens linebacker D.J. Bryant found an odd way of keeping himself entertained during Baltimore’s media session on Wednesday.

Quote of the Night

“That’s the trick of the devil. The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That’s what he comes to do. He comes to distract you from everything you’re trying to do.”
–Ray Lewis, referring to the recent allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs