Ray Lewis doesn't believe in jinxes, but directed his teammates to stay far away from the Lombardi Trophy as it came to the Ravens' facility on Thursday, according to The Baltimore Sun. The teammates obliged, much to the chagrin of CBS, who brought the trophy specifically for player interviews and pictures. Players posed with a helmet instead, avoiding breaking Lewis' directive.
Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens try to avoid Lombardi Trophy jinx
The Ravens stayed away from the Lombardi Trophy, even when it was brought to their team facility.
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore claimed it didn't avoid the trophy simply because they thought it would be bad luck, or that it would bring some mystical force that prevented the team from winnings. Instead, with the guidance of Lewis, they felt that they had not yet earned the right to be in the presence of the trophy. To do that, they had to win Super Bowl.
Lewis was convincing, and the rest of the team bought in to the belief that they couldn't touch or take pictures with the trophy until earning it, including defensive end Arthur Jones:
“Absolutely, that’s not our trophy,” Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones said. “We haven’t earned it yet. Ray Lewis didn’t have to tell most of the guys. It’s not ours. We got to definitely earn it this week.”
The retiring Lewis has earned the right to touch the Lombardi Trophy once before, 12 years ago when the Ravens last made it to the Super Bowl. He’ll be trying to end his career on a high note with a victory, and even if he won’t admit it, you know he doesn’t want to take any chances in messing that up.
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