On January 2,  football great Ray Lewis announced his intention of retiring at the end of this season.  He is an important member of the Baltimore Ravens and one of the greatest linebackers that the game has ever seen.

He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win over the New York Giants in 2000.  Also, throughout his seventeen years as a Raven, he was voted to the Pro Bowl 12 times, was named first-team All-Pro seven times and was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice.

In addition to all of these prestigious achievements that he has already done, Ray Lewis also is the only player in NFL history to have over 40 sacks and 30 interceptions throughout their career.

This year the Ravens won the AFC North and qualified for the playoffs and won in their first post season game against the Indianapolis Colts.  Even though Ray Lewis has announced his plan to retire at the end of the year, he still says that he will play for his team throughout the playoffs.

On December 5,  Lewis came back to practice from a torn tricep which had kept him from the field ever since his initial injury on October 14.

The reason that Ray Lewis claims that he is retiring is because his family has made a huge sacrifice letting him play for 17 years and doesn’t want them to have to do that for another year. 

Furthermore, he says that he doesn’t want to miss a moment more of his two children’s lives and is excited to watch both of them play football.  His youngest son plays for his high school team and his eldest son Ray Lewis III is playing at The University of Miami, which is Lewis’ alma mater.