Was Ray Lewis Out of Line for Saying OBJ, ‘Has Removed God From His Life?’

By Perry Green, AFRO Sports Editor, [email protected]

Former Baltimore Raven legend Ray Lewis took a beating on social media Monday after saying New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. “has removed God from his life.”

Lewis, 42, currently a sports analyst for Fox Sports 1, appeared on the Colin Cowherd Show on April 10 when he was asked what would he say if he had a moment to speak with Beckham, Jr., a 25-year-old super talented player with a history of controversial behavior off the field.

“Where there’s no God, there’s chaos. Odell has removed God from his life,” Lewis responded to Cowherd’s question. “This is a kid that grew up under the covenant of who God really is. And everything he’s doing, he’s crying out for help. We have a lot of people reporting about it, but it’s always been the duty of elders to go back to help people. So that’s why I raised my hand.”

A video clip of Lewis’ comment quickly went viral, prompting widespread criticism online.

“Ray Lewis continues to be an insult to the good people who don’t use religion as both a mask and ammo,” tweeted Melissa Jacobs, former ESPN writer and founder/managing editor of TheFootballGirl.com.

Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges involving the murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar in 2000 following a Super Bowl party. The killings remain unsolved.

Robert Klemko, a football writer for Sports Illustrated, said OBJ’s religion status is none of Lewis’ business.

“I don’t know what OBJ’s relationship with God is, but I know for damn sure that Ray Lewis doesn’t know, and that it’s not his place to say on television,” Klemko tweeted.

Klemko claimed Lewis uses religion to manufacture self esteem and deflect the truth.

“This is Ray’s go-to. [He] once told me “I’m gonna pray for you” because I wouldn’t apologize for asking a question about the families of the unsolved Atlanta murders searching for answers. Ray manufactures self-esteem via sanctimony, projection and deflection now that football’s over,” Klemko tweeted.