Jamal Lewis : biography
Jamal Lafitte Lewis (born August 26, 1979) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens fifth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee. After spending his first seven seasons with the Ravens, Lewis signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns prior to the 2007 season and retired after the 2009 season.
Lewis is most famous for his career as a Raven, where he helped the team win Super Bowl XXXV as a rookie. Jamal is also well-known for his outstanding 2003 season, where he rushed for 2,066 yards, which is third-most of all-time, behind Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peterson. That same year, Lewis also rushed for 295 yards in one game, which was a record at the time until Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 yards in 2007. Lewis was inducted into the Ravens’ Ring of Honor on September 27, 2012.
Career statistics
Year | Team | Games | Attempts | Yards | YPA | TDs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 309 | 1,364 | 4.4 | 6 |
2002 | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 308 | 1,327 | 4.3 | 6 |
2003 | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 387 | 2,066 | 5.3 | 14 |
2004 | Baltimore Ravens | 12 | 235 | 1,006 | 4.3 | 7 |
2005 | Baltimore Ravens | 15 | 269 | 906 | 3.4 | 3 |
2006 | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 314 | 1,132 | 3.6 | 9 |
2007 | Cleveland Browns | 15 | 298 | 1,304 | 4.4 | 9 |
2008 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 279 | 1,002 | 3.6 | 4 |
2009 | Cleveland Browns | 9 | 143 | 500 | 3.5 | 0 |
Career | 131 | 2,542 | 10,607 | 4.2 | 58 |
Personal life
In February 2004, it surfaced that Lewis had been involved in talks about a drug deal. Lewis was charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine and using a cell phone in the commission of the first count. Lewis reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in October 2004 and ultimately, Lewis was sentenced in January 2005 to four months in federal prison.http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/8135568 He was released on August 2, 2005.
On October 31, 2011, Regions Bank filed suit against Lewis over an unpaid $660,000 loan.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Regarded as the best available tailback alongside Thomas Jones, Lewis was the fifth pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. In his rookie season, he rushed for over 1,300 yards, supplanting Priest Holmes as the team’s starting running back. On November 19, Lewis became the youngest player since 1960 to record 200 yards from scrimmage (21 years, 82 days). 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 and the youngest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl (21).
In the 2003 season, Lewis led the NFL in rushing with 2,066 yards, falling just 39 yards short of the all time single season rushing record, which remains Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards in 1984. Lewis joined Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Barry Sanders, and O. J. Simpson as the only backs in the 2,000 rushing yards club. In 2009, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans, would also surpass the 2,000-yard mark by rushing for 2,006 yards. In 2012, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings finished with 2,097 rushing yards, the second-most ever for a running back in a single season.