You must be forgetting the part about Lewis being charged with 2 counts of murder. He turned on a couple of his buddies in a plea agreement,to keep his ass out of jail. Otherwise he'd likely be 10 years in to a couple of life sentences.

Professional athletes are entertainers, nothing more, nothing less.

Lawrence Taylor is another NFL linebacker who's play on the field is legendary and likely unmatched.
Like Ray Lewis his off field performances are another story altogether.

We're talking entertainment here and like Mike Vick as well these guys fill the seats.

Entertainment, yes.
Also interesting that American football resembles a set-piece battlefield.
They are many warriors and wannabe warriors in our midst and this is our idea of entertainment.
We go fishing and still have to bring our swords (spudguns) if only for entertainment.

We're not that far removed from Roman times.

Are we savages ?
I hope that the extremists think so.