Ray Lewis is known for being one of the most ferocious tacklers in the history of the NFL, and no one understands that more than Julian Edelman. The former New England Patriots wide receiver was on the wrong end of multiple collisions with Lewis during his career. He says one of them turned his life upside down for weeks.
Edelman now co-hosts Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” with Lewis, Brandon Marshall and Phil Simms. During an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast this week, Edelman shared a story about the time Lewis kneed him in the backside during New England’s blowout playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens during the 2009 season.
“I caught a ball and Ray hit me and, like, kneed me in my butt. He hit me so hard I had a crazy hematoma. I instantly had to get an IV,” Edelman recalled. “They had to check my vital systems. I couldn’t sit down for literally like six weeks. I had a full J-Lo butt on my right cheek — literally six times the (normal) size. I couldn’t fly for like a week.”
You can hear the story below.
That game was in the Divisional Round. Given how Edelman described the injury, it sounds like he would have missed the AFC Championship Game had the Patriots advanced. They lost 33-14, so it didn’t matter.
Those types of hits are the ones that made Lewis a force. He’d have a hard time playing in today’s NFL, and he once explained why he can’t even watch the biggest game of the year. Fortunately, Lewis’ big shot on Edelman didn’t do any permanent damage.
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