Ray Lewis: Ed Reed 'can't leave me'

In his 50th appearance at the Pro Bowl (at least that’s how many times Deion Sanders said his friend, “Sugar,” has been selected for the honor), linebacker Ray Lewis publicly expressed how he feels about Ed Reed’s impending 50-50 retirement decision.

And Lewis’ answer didn’t include the typical, “he needs to do what’s best for him” line either. Nope. The vocal defensive leader was clear – he wants Reed by his side, until the end.

“For me personally, Ed can’t leave me … you know that,” Lewis told “Prime” in this NFL Network video.

“We shouldn’t quit. We got to ride this thing out.

“Going through the emotions, the ups and downs of the season, bottom line, you go through all types of crazy emotions, but I think once he settles in, Ed is who he is.”

Reed was not present to share his own feelings about retirement and another year of playing alongside No. 52. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year excused himself from the Pro Bowl because of the many injuries he sustained throughout the 2009 season.

“Ed fought a lot this year – a lot of different injuries,” Lewis explained. “You have to tip your hat to him because he just kept fighting, kept fighting, kept fighting. So the bottom line is, if you can get healthy, get healthy.”

Colts safety Antoine Bethea replaced the injured Reed on the AFC Pro Bowl roster, but Bethea (busy with the Super Bowl) was subsequently replaced by Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell.

(Oh, and by the way… the Pro Bowl in South Florida really marks Lewis’ 10th appearance.)

Click here to order Ray Lewis’ or Ed Reed's proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoreravens.com)