from Jamison Hensley of espn.com
Wide receiver Torrey Smith took exception to former linebacker Ray Lewis‘ assertion that the Baltimore Ravens lack leadership after a report surfaced about wide receiver Jacoby Jones getting hit over the head by a stripper wielding a champagne bottle.
Lewis, an ESPN analyst who played 17 seasons for the Ravens, made his comments Monday after details of the alleged incident were reported by the media.
“We have great leadership, so to say because of one incident that it’s a leadership issue, to me, is a joke because everyone is not going to always be around and incidents happen,” Smith told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday. “Stuff happens in the locker room, stuff happens in the spur of the moment. Now, if it happens every week, all the time, then that’s a problem. For one incident to happen and say it’s a leadership issue when most of the team wasn’t there, it’s an overreaction.
“It’s only bad because someone went and ran to TMZ. If no one knew, it wouldn’t be an issue. We would resolve it in the locker room. It’s resolved anyways.”
On Wednesday, several Ravens players echoed Smith’s thoughts.
“It is what it is. Ray knows better than that. Things happen. We’re usually a pretty good team with stuff like that. If you look around the league, there’s a lot of leadership problems then,” quarterback Joe Flacco said.
Linebacker Terrell Suggs said the Ravens are “having fun” with Lewis’ comments.
“We’ve never been the type of locker room that wears our feelings on our sleeves,” he said, while admitting he didn’t know what Lewis said.
“We have a lot of leaders on this team. I don’t think that’s one thing we’re stressed [about]. We don’t know worry about that. We’re worried about what we’re trying to do as a team.”
Lewis told USA Today Sports his comments were blown out of proportion.
“I’m totally confused with how someone can take something and make more of it, when what I was saying was so general,” Lewis said. “If anybody takes offense to that, I don’t get it. What did I say that was so bad?”
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