Ray Lewis says crime will increase if there's no football

Although there's no scientific evidence to suggest a lack of NFL football having a measurable negative effect beyond the economy, Baltimore Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis believes that crime will increase if there's no season due to the labor dispute.

"Do this research if we don't have a season, watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game," Lewis told ESPN. "There's too many people that live through us, people live through us. Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I'm not talking about the people you see all the time."

Lewis wasn't referring to the mounting amount of arrests by NFL players during the lockout.

Lewis said he thought there would be an uptick in crime simply because, "There's nothing else to do."

Lewis made another point when it comes to resolving the work stoppage that has lasted three months.

"It's simple, we really got to remove pride," Lewis said. "Seriously. There's no other reason the issue is going on. That's why I don't get into words and all that other stuff, because it takes away from life ... itself. There's people who are really struggling for real. There's real struggles out there."

Lewis said he has been communicating with NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.

"Tell me when you're ready for me to come speak," Lewis said. "Because I'm not speaking about all, oh I want this, I want that."

And Lewis may speak out soon regarding the labor impasse, saying, "Oh, the time is coming."

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(nationalfootballpost.com)