Statue Of Ray Lewis Gets Extra Security After Real-Life Ray Lewis Gets On Both Knees For Anthem, Says Dumb Things

Well, here are several layers of shit to sift through: the Maryland Stadium Authority has increased security around the Ray Lewis statue outside the Ravens’ arena, after fans filed a petition requesting it be removed because Lewis knelt during the national anthem on Sunday. Even though Lewis has repeatedly and publicly qualmed over Colin Kaepernick’s police brutality protests during the anthem, and he explicitly came out today to say some nonsensical things about how he was .

The petition has the standard hand-wringing of “what about respect,” despite the fact that, again, Lewis has repeatedly distanced himself from Kaepernick and these protests and has worked to separate his kneeling—on two knees, not one—from the demonstrations.

“That song honors our country and our veterans who fought for it,” the petition reads, according to the . “To kneel during it is disrespectful, regardless of what you are protesting.”

The petition received several thousand signatures, and the stadium authority didn’t hesitate to station extra security around the statue.

“Certainly observers can notice the presence of uniformed security officers at M&T Bank Stadium, which includes the statue plaza,” a spokesperson told the Sun. “The additional officers and other security enhancements have been in place since Sunday afternoon.”

To think: this is what makes people want to remove a Ray Lewis statue.

[ Baltimore Sun]