Ray Lewis said he recently called and spoke with the family of George Floyd, whose brutal death that was caught on video has led to sleepless nights for Lewis.
During a virtual interview with University of Maryland, Baltimore Interim President Dr. Bruce Jarrell, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker said he called Floyd’s family to offer support and comfort. He hasn’t found that same comfort for himself.
“This one here has bothered me from a different place,” Lewis said. “I’ve had sleepless nights because I think when you think about what’s happening, the thing I fear the most is our kids are experiencing things that even our parents can’t explain to them.
“People are just frustrated of injustice. The color of your skin should not define who you are or what you do in life. Our only way out of this is through love. We have to feel each other again. We have to love each other again. The question is: How do we replace all the pain, hurt, confusion, and injustice with love, hope, communication and integrity?”
Floyd died May 25th after being arrested by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder.
“It’s therapeutic to get that pain out,” Lewis said. “When you turn that pain into an open dialogue, you start to see change. Eventually, that pain becomes a vision. Then, that vision becomes a mission. That mission becomes your purpose. And that purpose becomes your destiny.”
