Is Jamal Lewis related to Ray Lewis? Former Browns RB’s family explored

In 2000, linebacker Ray Lewis was the leader of one of the most dominant defensive teams in NFL history. He and his Baltimore Ravens stifled opposing offenses on their way to winning the Super Bowl. They allowed only 165 points, still a league record, and recorded four shutouts.

Lewis recorded 168 tackles (129 solo), 15 pass deflections, five interceptions, and four fumble recoveries across the regular season and playoffs, as he won both Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP.

On the other side of the ball, while the Ravens did not have the best passing game, they did have rookie running back Jamal Lewis, who immediately made an impact with 1,364 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the regular season before adding 338 and four in the playoffs.

But there is one questions some fans may ask: are these two related? Unfortunately, they are not.

Jamal Lewis was born on August 26, 1979 in Atlanta to John and Mary Lewis. John was a railroad worker, while Mary was a prison warden. The two would bicker, argue, and fight very often; but to him, it was not an anomaly, as his neighborhood was a rough one.

As Lewis told Bleacher Report's Tyler Dunne, boys at the time had two options in life: sell drugs or join the armed forces. He chose football instead, seeing it as an escape:

"Where I grew up, you take a lot of risk. You risk your kid going out hanging with the wrong crowd, selling drugs... getting killed... joining a gang. So which one are you going to take? I’ll take football any day out of all that.”

Ray Lewis, meanwhile, was actually born Raymond Anthony Jenkins on May 15, 1978 to Sunseria Jenkins and Ray Jackson. He did not regularly see his father, who had been a wrestler and football player in high school, as he was in prison for drug-related offenses.

As the eldest of five children, he became his mother's helper in the household, cooking for his younger siblings and cleaning the house. Like his future teammate of the same surname, he turned to football to escape a life of crime.

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What happened to Jamal Lewis after winning the Super Bowl?

Including his rookie season, Jamal Lewis ultimately played seven seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He had his best performance in 2003, when he won Offensive Player of the Year with a season-high 2,066 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. However, he never reached a Super Bowl again, and retired after three years with the Cleveland Browns.

In an ironic twist, a year after his best season, he was convicted of conspiracy to possess drugs with the intent to distribute them and using a cell phone therein in relation to a 2000 offense and took a plea deal: four months in prison, to be served during the offseason. His post-football life has been tumultuous as well, marred by bankruptcy and financial difficulties.