As Ray Lewis prepares to take his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, teammates, coaches, opponents, family and members of the media reflect on the legacy of the legendary Ravens linebacker with their favorite memories and never-before-heard stories.
Adalius Thomas
As told to Glenn Clark
Adalius Thomas played defensive end/linebacker for the Ravens from 2000-2006.
His intensity and his passion for the game were very significant in his development as a player. He was a leader on the field. He was a student of the game. The system was designed for him to be a tackling machine, which he was. The underlying thing was his leverage and his ability to understand leverage from wrestling. From when he wrestled in high school, he had the great ability to be very explosive on contact. Whether it was Jerome Bettis or a wide receiver coming through, he had the ability to impose his will on you. As a player, he intimidated people coming across the middle.
But he also had a passion for kids. He loved kids. We’ve been out before and he’s given a kid money to go buy himself shoes or whatever it may be. I can’t remember exactly how it came about, but the kid came back and said his mom took the money that Ray gave to him — and Ray didn’t know the kid or anything like that. We might have been in Miami, and it was a random kid and he came up and said something about shoes or something like that, and Ray gave him a $100 bill to go buy shoes or whatever it was. So I think that he does have a passion for kids.
To read all 52 memories of No. 52, visit PressBoxOnline.com/Ray.