Ray Lewis named in lawsuit over bourbon sponsorship deal with famous racehorse

Ray Lewis has been named in a lawsuit that was filed recently by an advertising company that represented former Triple Crown contender California Chrome at an event earlier this year.

According to court documents obtained TMZ, Leverage Agency, a company that sells sponsorships at sporting events, is suing Lewis and the makers of Ray’s Reserve bourbon. The lawsuit alleges that the company behind Ray’s Reserve agreed to pay $50,000 to sponsor California Chrome at the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Race back in January. A photo shared by TMZ shows Chrome’s jockey, Victor Espinoza, wearing pants with a Ray’s Reserve logo on them.

Leverage Agency claims Ray’s Reserve agreed to pay $25,000 in cash and $25,000 in bourbon, but the company says it never received the cash or the booze. Lewis’ attorney told TMZ that the former NFL linebacker had no involvement in the deal and has nothing to do with Ray’s Reserve other than a licensing deal allowing the bourbon-bottler to use his name.

“There’s no justification for Ray to be named personally in the lawsuit,” the attorney said.

Back in 2014, California Chrome ran out of steam while trying to capture the Triple Crown. The horse finished ninth at the race in which Ray’s Reserve was a sponsor.