Jamal Lewis

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Jamal Lewis
Date of birth	August 26, 1979
Place of birth	Nashville, Tennessee
Position(s)	Running back
College	University of Tennessee
NFL Draft	2000 / Round 1/ Pick 5
Team(s)
2000-Present	Baltimore Ravens

Jamal Lewis (born August 26, 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American football player who plays running back for the Baltimore Ravens. He attended the University of Tennessee and wears number 31. Lewis was the fifth pick overall in the 2000 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens and in his rookie season, rushed for over 1,000 yards, supplanting Priest Holmes as the team's starting RB. The Ravens' running game and punishing defense earned them their first World Championship when they defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis rushed for 103 yards and scored a touchdown in the game, becoming only the second rookie ever to rush for over 100 yards in a Super Bowl.

In 2003, Lewis nearly set a new NFL single-season rushing record by rushing for 2,066 yards, leading the league. He finished second all-time, to Eric Dickerson, and joined Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Barry Sanders, and O.J. Simpson as the only backs in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. During that season, Lewis also broke Corey Dillon's single game rushing record of 279 yards by running for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns. (Note: Lewis would have surpassed 300 yards rushing had it not been for a holding penalty that both set him back 12 yards and repealed a touchdown.) Lewis was rewarded by being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

Lewis is a native of Atlanta and lives there in the off-season.

After the 2005 season, the Ravens declined to franchise Lewis, making him an unrestricted free agent after the end of the season. This move was seen by many as a formality in letting Lewis head to another team. Popular speculation blamed Lewis' steadily declining performance since the 2003 season. Lewis had also voiced displeasure during the 2005 season over not having a longterm deal. Despite these events the Ravens resigned Lewis on Monday, March 13, 2006 with a three-year deal, ^[1] despite having signed former Denver Broncos Running Back Mike Anderson, who was widely thought to be Lewis' replacement.

1 College Career and Injuries
2 High school career
3 Violating the drug policy
4 External links
5 Notes

[edit] College Career and Injuries

Lewis attented the University of Tennessee leading the team in rushing as a freshman in 1997. Lewis misses most of the Vols national Championship season of 1998 after injuring his knee. He rebounded the next year to be a first round pick.

[edit] High school career

Lewis attended Douglass High School in Atlanta,Georgia. As a senior, he was an AAAA All-State pick, and an All-City pick and finished his senior season with 1716 rushing yards, and 25 touchdowns. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Georgia-Florida All-Star game and finished that game with 137 rushing yards, and two touchdowns on 11 carries (12.45 yards per carry).

[edit] Violating the drug policy

Prior to the 2004 season, Lewis was charged with attempting to distribute cocaine. The charges stemmed from a federal sting initiated prior to Lewis being drafted by the Ravens. Since Lewis violated the NFL drug policy, then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue suspended Lewis for two games in the 2004 season. Lewis later plea-bargained to reduced charges and on January 26, 2005 Lewis was sentenced to four months in prison, two months in a halfway house, and 500 hours of community service.