Report addresses FAU’s level of interest in Ray Lewis
Dec 30, 2018; Baltimore, MD, USA; Former American football linebacker Ray Lewis walks across the field before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
If Florida Atlantic University has interest in Ray Lewis as a potential head football coach, the school does not want anyone to know it.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday morning that Lewis has emerged as a candidate for the FAU job after former head coach Tom Herman was fired this week. That report was almost immediately refuted.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports says he was told by people involved in the FAU search that Lewis coaching the Owls is “not happening.”
Pretty blunt intel from the folks involved in the coaching search at FAU about the ESPN report that Ray Lewis is a candidate for coach: “It is not happening.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 20, 2024
That meshes with what Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported, which is that there has been no direct communication between Lewis and FAU officials and that Lewis being hired by the school is “highly unlikely.”
Re: Ray Lewis and FAU:
There’s been no direct communication between Lewis and the school at this point and it’s highly unlikely that FAU ends up hiring him as head coach, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports https://t.co/qOetA1iLiU pic.twitter.com/96izlS8Q82
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) November 20, 2024
Schefter is obviously one of the most connected reporters in sports, but it is unclear where he got the information.
In addition to being an NFL legend, Lewis is known for his involvement in a murder trial in 2000. He was charged with murder and aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing deaths of two men in Atlanta, Ga. The Hall of Fame linebacker had those charges dismissed and was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice as part of a plea agreement.
It is possible that FAU had or has some level of interest in Lewis and would rather the public not know about it. Either way, it seems unlikely that Lewis is going to become the next head coach of the Owls.