Reggie Wayne believed Ray Lewis' final "squirrel dance" in Baltimore was disrespectful. Based on the reaction to our post, a lot of our readers surprisingly agree with the Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.
Lewis isn't about to apologize.
"It wasn't about them at that time," the linebacker said Tuesday, via the Ravens' official website. "That was about capping off a heck of a legacy of 17 years. When he (Wayne) was in Pop Warner playing football, I was in Baltimore. To salute my city that way, I guess the trot around the field was disrespectful, too. No. It wasn't even about them."
Lewis and Wayne both went to the University of Miami. Guys from the "U" are insanely competitive and hate to lose. That's why we can't fault Wayne for his statements, even if they seem silly from the outside. It's like teams complaining about running up the score: The Colts could have stopped the Ravens from being in the position to celebrate Lewis' legacy.
It was a cool moment for an all-time great. For Wayne to complain is one thing. Anyone else who gets bent out of shape about it probably has deeper problems.
"The game was over," Lewis said. "I didn't go toward their sideline or make no big issue of that because I've never been that type of player. But (it was) to salute my city, knowing that people love to see that."
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Lewis went on to say he loves Wayne to death and how he texted Colts coach Chuck Pagano right after the game.
"It wasn't even about them," Lewis said. "It was about me honoring my team and honoring my city."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
