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Ray Lewis: Why Is ‘Twitter’ Throwing Stones At Him For His Baltimore Riot Address?

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 08:11 PST, Apr 28, 2015

Baltimore’s own Ray Lewis stands up for his city and goes at the rioters. Lewis let them know their actions wouldn’t be tolerated. Good, right? No. Twitter users feel differently.

Well, amid Ray Lewis’ address to Baltimore’s rioting party, he forgot about his past. In the past, Lewis was thought to have help kill someone. However, even if so, that’s the past, right? People can change, no?

Whether they can or can’t, Twitter users don’t seem to care as they resort to throwing old, dusty tweet “stones” at Lewis, over an allegation from nearly two decades ago. If you type “Ray Lewis” into Twitter’s search bar, you’ll see several negative comments about him and his address.

If you don’t know, whether intentional or unintentional, this is what’s called “character assassination,” an attempt to defame someone’s influence by basically “throwing them under the bus.”

Some people are quick to judge other people by their pasts in the present. Yet, they tend to forget about their own shortcomings. Everyone has them, right? Ray was simply addressing the Baltimore rioters from the perspective he’s gained from his own mistakes. Since they weren’t non-violently protesting, he thought to let them know how things are supposed to go in Baltimore — or anywhere else, for that matter.

How is it that Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis was and is cheered and praised relentlessly as a football player and NFL veteran athlete but shunned when he tries to use his influence to help the youth? The same rioters that burned down buildings yesterday could possibly be looking at these Twitter users jump down Lewis’ throat for trying to correct them. Remember, not all the rioters were arrested last night. Baltimore needs all the help it can get at the moment. It’s not necessarily a time to shut up supporters, especially those as influential as Ray.

Some of the rioting teens could’ve been those who look up to Lewis as an athletic mentor. People make bad decisions all the time, even in Baltimore. This can be seen by the teen who got reprimanded by his mother on national television. It’s obvious that the teen knew better and was raised better than the way he was acting.

People are trending the video, but many are missing the lesson behind it. The Baltimore teen’s mother was getting him out of harm’s way, more so than attempting to embarrass him. From the looks of it, she could care less that she was in front of police or on national television. She did her job as a mother, protecting her child, regardless of any shortcomings she may have had in the past, herself.

As a public figure, Baltimore’s Ray Lewis — aside his past transgression, approximately two decades ago — was only doing the same for the city he loves. Using wisdom from his past experiences, he stated, “Violence isn’t nor has it ever been the answer.”

What are your thoughts regarding Ray Lewis’ backlash? Is it warranted, or should people rather focus on the message than the messenger? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, below.

[Photo Credits: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images Sport]

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