From Variety, for “Coaching Bad,” a reality series premiering Sunday, Feb. 8, on cablenet Spike TV, created by John Irwin, the man behind reality hits “Celebrity Rehab” and “Couples Therapy”:
“What made this interesting to us is that one out of four people struggle with anger management in this country and leading the charge in that category are athletic coaches,” said Irwin who serves as an exec producer on the original series. “Flying under the radar are literally tens of thousands of coaches out there who, if they’re not screaming at the kids, they’re literally beating them up or beating up their parents. It really felt like this was something that needed to be cracked open.”
In each episode, NFL legend Ray Lewis teams up with anger management specialist Dr. Christian Conte to help fix nine coaches whose methods are detrimental, impacting youth athletics around the country.
Read the rest here.
Regarding Lewis, the press release from Spike TV PR exec Sharon Levy read:
Spike TV is thrilled to partner with one of the greatest players in NFL history in a compelling new series that will shine a light on the ever-growing issue of coaches and their anger issues. Who better than Ray to bestow insight and wisdom to these coaches after his storied career as a leader on and off the field during his playing days with the University of Miami and Baltimore Ravens.
While his football prowess will likely one day land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Lewis has had trouble with the law. In 2000, he was involved in an incident outside a nightclub in Atlanta in which two men were stabbed to death. The crimes remain unsolved, but Lewis, then a Ravens linebacker, was originally charged with two counts of murder. But, through a deal with prosecutors in which he testified against two of his companions that night, Lewis — whose companions were ultimately acquitted — pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.
Speaking to the Baltimore Sun in 2010, Lewis said, “I’m telling you, no day leaves this Earth without me asking God to ease the pain of anybody who was affected by that whole ordeal. He’s a God who tests people — not that He put me in that situation, because He doesn’t make me go nowhere. I put myself in that situation.
“But if I had to go through all of that over again … I wouldn’t change a thing. Couldn’t. The end result is who I am now.”
In the years since the deaths, Lewis did manage to rehabilitate his public image for many, including the sports press.
Lewis was featured on the cover of the Jan. 29, 2013, edition of Sports Illustrated, shirtless, up to his chest in water and holding his hands in the prayer position. The headline read, “Does God Care Who Wins the Super Bowl?” (Something I addressed here).
The retired NFL star is very vocal about his Christian faith, but as a New York Times article pointed out after the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in the 2013 Super Bowl (the one where the power went out):
Even in this festive city, the mood all week for Lewis’s retirement party had been subdued. The celebration began anew after the Ravens eked out a 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII, sending Lewis out in style, as a champion for the second time. From his podium afterward, Lewis called out to running back Ray Rice, seated across the interview area: “Raymond! We made it!”
“I can think about myself a little bit now,” Lewis said. “What better way to go out?”
Two of his sons soon joined him, and a group of relatives waited nearby. They waited for dad, son, nephew, a man who preaches and preens, steers and struts. Lewis is victim and hypocrite, community pillar and obstructer of justice, a God-fearing man who fathered six children with four women.
“I don’t know anybody, honestly, who has lived a perfect life,” Lewis said.
Lewis became an NFL icon for his play on-field and his off-field team leadership, and now he’ll be talking to sports coaches about managing their own emotions. To this day, opinions on him are sharply polarized. It’ll be interesting to see if Lewis, from the well of his own decidedly mixed experience, has wisdom to share.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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