Ray Lewis Shares His Thoughts on His Former Teammate Ray Rice

Ray Lewis is "disappointed" in Ray Rice right now.

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Image via Complex Original
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Like most people, former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is still trying to make sense of everything that happened to Ray Rice today.

Early this morning, TMZ Sports released a video of Rice hitting his fiancée Janay Palmer inside of an elevator in the Revel Atlantic City hotel and casino earlier this year. Then, this afternoon, the Ravens decided to cut their ties to him by releasing Rice. And a short time later, Rice was suspended indefinitely by Roger Goodell and the NFL.

So a little while ago, during an appearance on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, Lewis talked about how he's feeling at the moment with regards to his former Ravens teammate.

"I'm disappointed," Lewis said. "This is personal for me. I'm torn. This is a guy, a young man, that I really took up under my wing and tried to mentor…For me, it stings. He's a friend. I've always tried to take this young man and teach him something different. When you watch this video, you see that something was lost. Some leadership was lost."

Lewis also talked at length about how Rice's situation hit home with him because, when he was younger, he watched his mother deal with domestic violence.

"My mom went through that," he said. "It was one of the greatest things that drove me in my life. I witnessed that. I went through beatings with her. To go through that and know what that feels like, that a woman is lesser than you and can’t fight back. If that’s my sister or daughter, then we have another issue."

And Lewis was quick to point out that Rice's current situation is nothing like the legal battle that Lewis went through back in 2000 when he was accused of murder and forced to go on trial before eventually pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.

"There is no comparison between me and Ray Rice," he said. "It's night and day. It’s night and day of anything we’ve ever been through and that’s why both situations are totally different."

In closing, Lewis said that he has spoken to Rice recently and that he plans on sitting down with him and speaking with him about his future. He also said that, despite everything Rice is going through right now, he is "encouraged" by Rice and believes that he can get his life together again.

"You have to stand still in the midst of this storm," he said. "You humble yourself. You seek counsel."

Lewis is expected to speak more about Rice and his current situation later on during Monday Night Countdown. We'll be sure to let you know if he has anything else to say about him.

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