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CNN Live At Daybreak
Reaction to Jamal Lewis Case
Aired February 26, 2004 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We'll be covering it when Jamal Lewis turns himself in here in Atlanta.
We want to get some more reaction to this case.
Pete Gilbert is a sports reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore.
Pete has covered Jamal Lewis' career.
Welcome to DAYBREAK.
PETE GILBERT, WBAL-TV CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: This is really complicated because these alleged incidents happened before the Baltimore Ravens acquired Lewis.
So what will the football team do?
GILBERT: They will back him, I think much in the same way that they backed Ray Lewis years ago when Lewis was in trouble in Atlanta, as well. That was, of course, for the more serious charge of murder. But the team came out yesterday with a statement and said, you know, they want to learn more and wait, to relax a little bit to where they figure out what's going on, but this seems of character for him, and will certainly back him, I think until it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty of something.
COSTELLO: Is this out of character for him?
GILBERT: Yes, it is, I mean, in that -- well, he has had some problems with drugs in the past and he has failed the league substance abuse policy twice. He was suspended for four games in 2001. That was for alleged use of mar -- well, we believe the use of marijuana.
Now, as far as selling drugs or anything, he has no history of that. He's never been convicted of anything like that and I don't think he's ever been accused of anything like that. So the worst thing in his record was a shoplifting thing as a youth.
So, yes, I mean when you're talking about many kilos of cocaine and distribution and everything, that is out of character.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, this is also tough for the Ravens, because Jamal Lewis is good. I mean last year he set the NFL single game rushing record, 295 yards in one game. Pretty darned amazing.
If he goes through the legal process, this could take quite some time, and he probably wouldn't be playing on the Ravens while going through that.
GILBERT: Oh, it would be a tremendous blow to the Ravens. He was their offense last year. They passed the ball very little. And I mean to lose Jamal Lewis would be a huge, huge blow. He was Paul Bunyan in Baltimore last year, and making his run for the record and all the Ravens fans hoping and waiting to see, you know, if he could pass Eric Dickerson's 2105. That was as big a story as the Ravens making the playoffs. And, so to see something like this happens hurts.
But the fact that Ray Lewis went through this, also in Atlanta, and then came out OK and is once again, you know, a star, as well, for the Ravens, I think fans in Baltimore are not, they're not that concerned right now. They think that he will be exonerated and will move on.
COSTELLO: We'll see what happens.
Pete Gilbert from WBAL-TV in Baltimore, a CNN affiliate.
Thanks so much for joining us on DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 26, 2004 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We'll be covering it when Jamal Lewis turns himself in here in Atlanta.
We want to get some more reaction to this case.
Pete Gilbert is a sports reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore.
Pete has covered Jamal Lewis' career.
Welcome to DAYBREAK.
PETE GILBERT, WBAL-TV CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: This is really complicated because these alleged incidents happened before the Baltimore Ravens acquired Lewis.
So what will the football team do?
GILBERT: They will back him, I think much in the same way that they backed Ray Lewis years ago when Lewis was in trouble in Atlanta, as well. That was, of course, for the more serious charge of murder. But the team came out yesterday with a statement and said, you know, they want to learn more and wait, to relax a little bit to where they figure out what's going on, but this seems of character for him, and will certainly back him, I think until it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty of something.
COSTELLO: Is this out of character for him?
GILBERT: Yes, it is, I mean, in that -- well, he has had some problems with drugs in the past and he has failed the league substance abuse policy twice. He was suspended for four games in 2001. That was for alleged use of mar -- well, we believe the use of marijuana.
Now, as far as selling drugs or anything, he has no history of that. He's never been convicted of anything like that and I don't think he's ever been accused of anything like that. So the worst thing in his record was a shoplifting thing as a youth.
So, yes, I mean when you're talking about many kilos of cocaine and distribution and everything, that is out of character.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, this is also tough for the Ravens, because Jamal Lewis is good. I mean last year he set the NFL single game rushing record, 295 yards in one game. Pretty darned amazing.
If he goes through the legal process, this could take quite some time, and he probably wouldn't be playing on the Ravens while going through that.
GILBERT: Oh, it would be a tremendous blow to the Ravens. He was their offense last year. They passed the ball very little. And I mean to lose Jamal Lewis would be a huge, huge blow. He was Paul Bunyan in Baltimore last year, and making his run for the record and all the Ravens fans hoping and waiting to see, you know, if he could pass Eric Dickerson's 2105. That was as big a story as the Ravens making the playoffs. And, so to see something like this happens hurts.
But the fact that Ray Lewis went through this, also in Atlanta, and then came out OK and is once again, you know, a star, as well, for the Ravens, I think fans in Baltimore are not, they're not that concerned right now. They think that he will be exonerated and will move on.
COSTELLO: We'll see what happens.
Pete Gilbert from WBAL-TV in Baltimore, a CNN affiliate.
Thanks so much for joining us on DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
