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After Motivating the Ravens Squad, Ray Lewis Went On to Inspire an ESPN Analyst With a Train Ride Conversation

Alex Murray
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Baltimore Ravens former player Ray Lewis holds up the Lombardi trophy before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ray Lewis is a lot of things. All-time great football player, leader of men, and a preacher. These are just some of the monikers that are tagged on Lewis. But perhaps the most all-encompassing and accurate way to describe him is with one word: motivator.

Lewis was always great at football (he’s without a doubt the greatest to ever wear a Baltimore Ravens uniform), and he was a leader throughout his career. A big part of that was his ability to inspire and motivate the players around him to new heights.

Just a couple of months ago, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh invited Lewis to Ravens training camp alongside 23-time Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Michael Phelps to deliver some motivational words to the team.

“What will you do with time? Life goes, life keeps passing, and one day, you’re gonna go back and say, ‘What did I do with time?’ I don’t care what you have; it’s how you use what you have,” Lewis told the players surrounding him.

“I don’t care what you have in front of you. It’s the moment that you feel that I have to give everything I got to the preparation, so when the moment comes, I soar in that moment,” he added.

Unfortunately, Lewis’ motivational words can’t do much to defend against the injury crisis the 2025 Ravens are going through right now. Nevertheless, he continues to travel across the U.S., inspiring people everywhere he goes.

Just a day ago, Lewis ran into ESPN analyst Dominique Foxworth on a train, and the latter couldn’t help but get off that train feeling more motivated than ever.

“I was very motivated to have a good show today because I sat next to Ray Lewis on the train over here. And you can’t talk to that man without getting fired up,” Foxworth said on Get Up ESPN.

“I just said what’s up to him, I sit next to him, I was like, ‘What’s up Ray?’ and he goes, ‘Ohhh! Fox, what’s up my brother! How you feeling? You spirited? We spirited.’ (Laughs)”

Foxworth went on to say that the short conversation was so intense and inspirational, he really did feel “spirited,” even if he didn’t know exactly what that meant. Either way, Lewis got him hyped, as he tends to do.

“And I walked off that train ready to fight somebody. Got me hyped. So I’ma have a good run of shows this week, because I was properly motivated,” the analyst said with a laugh. “The dap was so strong, it was culture in the dap. I just felt it. You feel it though? You feel fired up? Wooo!”

All it takes is a small interaction with Ray Lewis to get you amped up to attack your day or your task. Though sometimes his words are not applicable to all walks of life.

Comedian John Mulaney relayed a story about meeting Lewis in a Madden commercial from about a decade ago. In the story, Lewis motivates Mulaney to push harder for his pilot and start a beet-juice cleanse. Mulaney does both of these things, but doesn’t end up with the desired results.

So if you ever meet Ray Lewis, don’t listen to him, because you’ll get a bad sitcom and you’ll s*** your pants.”

While Mulaney’s anecdote was hilarious, there’s no doubting Lewis inspired more people than he made sh*t their pants. Well, actually on second thought… But no, in all seriousness, how could you not be inspired by Lewis?

He played his entire 17-year career with the Ravens, helping the budding franchise win its first two Super Bowls. A 12-time Pro Bowler and 10-time All-Pro, Lewis also holds all-time NFL marks in combined tackles (2,059) and solo tackles (1,568).

To further illustrate how well Lewis did everything at the linebacker position, he is also the only player in NFL history to record 30+ interceptions, 40+ sacks, and 15+ forced fumbles across his career.

Post Edited By:Samnur Reza

About the author

Alex Murray

Alex Murray

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Alex Murray has been active in the sport media industry since his graduation from the prestigious RTA School of Media at TMU (formerly Ryerson University) in downtown Toronto. He has had a specific focus and interest on all things football and NFL, which stems from his father, who imbued him with a love of football and the NFL over all other sports at a young age. Alex even played football up until his freshman year of college, when he realized that he would find more success writing about rather than playing the sport. Alex has written for a variety of sports media outlets, including theScore, FanSided, FantasyPros, GiveMeSport, and more.

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