Ray Lewis on Lack of Black Sports Owners

Summary

Summary of Earn Your Leisure Podcast Episode:

Title: Ray Lewis on Lack of Black Sports Owners
Podcast: Earn Your Leisure
Hosts: Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings (iHeartPodcasts)
Guest: Ray Lewis
Date: May 19, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Hall of Fame NFL legend Ray Lewis joins Earn Your Leisure to share his unique financial and professional journey—discussing why players should prioritize ownership over endorsements, the realities behind athlete contracts, the lack of Black ownership in major sports, and his mission to effect real change in underserved communities. Ray reveals lessons from his mentors, the mechanics behind building and protecting wealth, and the critical importance of shifting mindset from employee to owner, all delivered with his signature intensity and passion for impact.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Illusion of Athlete Wealth: From Paychecks to Ownership

Timestamps: 02:17–08:17

• Contracts, Not Reality: Ray exposes how headline numbers on pro sports contracts are misleading once taxes, agent fees, and other cuts are considered.

  “That number does not really exist… 40% is coming to Uncle Sam, whoever that is that you’re paying your money to immediately.” — Ray Lewis (05:38)

• Moving Past Endorsements:

  “Player money no longer impresses me. I want to know what he does. Because if he can pay me this much, then, then I need to learn that.” — Ray Lewis (02:17, 15:45)

• Ownership vs. Endorsement: Ray emphasizes that while many pursue endorsements, the real leverage and legacy come from equity and ownership stakes.

2. The Importance of Mentorship and Relationships

Timestamps: 04:00–05:19

• Ozzy Newsome’s Role: Ray credits Ozzy Newsome for mentoring him both on and off the field, offering critical lessons in how the NFL operates behind the scenes.
• Lifelong Bond:

  “So we had that relationship since I was 19 years old, and now I’m 47 years old with that same relationship with Ozzy.” — Ray Lewis (04:11)

• Foundation in Faith: Ray maintains his life’s foundation is faith and family, having grown up as the son of pastors (08:21).

3. Financial Education and Protecting Wealth

Timestamps: 05:19–08:17, 27:32–30:28

• Hiring vs. Knowing: Ray urges athletes to know their finances personally, not just hire professionals:

  “If I see my statements myself, if I know where every penny of my money is going, then I can do that myself.” (05:38)

• Three Layers of Trust:

  “You should always have three layers… your spiritual foundation, your family foundation, and then your business foundation. In all three of those layers, you must have somebody at every level.” (27:50)

• Learning from Loss:

  “It’s crazy because you trust people, and… you realize that that person ain’t equally yoked…. The hardest thing to do is ask questions that you don’t know.” (29:39)

4. NIL and Athlete Empowerment

Timestamps: 12:30–15:23

• College Athlete Payments: Ray says current NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) deals breed division in locker rooms and should instead come from universities’ endowments:

  “Those kids are supposed to eat from that fund. They’re not supposed to eat from outside.” (12:36)

• Take Control of Your Name:

  “You cannot make money off my name… my name should represent the same thing. And every athlete should represent that exact same thing.” (13:21)

5. Pathways to Sustainable Wealth—Partnerships and Equity

Timestamps: 15:23–18:38

• Beyond Salary: Ray shares that after refusing endorsements, he built wealth through partnerships and demanding equity in every venture.

  “If I own part of that, then I got ownership in that. And if I got ownership in that, then I speak about it a little more boldly.” (15:45)

• Portfolio Approach: Own percentages in many businesses, not just play for a paycheck.

6. The Reality of Black Ownership in Sports

Timestamps: 18:38–23:35

• Representation Gap: Despite Black athletes comprising 73% of NFL rosters, there are no Black majority owners in the league.

  “We own. We control sports… But you’re not changing that unless you’re sitting in the ownership rooms.” (19:16)

• Change Only from the Top:

  “My goal is… in the next five to seven years… to possibly become the first black minority owner in the National Football League. Why? Because I want to change the narrative.” (19:16)

• Players Rarely Think as Owners: Ray reveals most players never discuss ownership; the system is set up to keep them focused on playing and earning (20:43).
• Lessons from Owner Meetings:

  “Nothing matters to them but what each one of them think. Seriously… The machine must run… Players’ careers—three years, three and a half years—then the next one come in,” (23:43, 24:49)

7. Impact over Coaching—Changing Communities

Timestamps: 25:32–27:32, 34:28–37:34

• Impact over Ego:

  “I just want to hear the Lord when I finally go home, say, ‘well done, my good and faithful servant.’ I don’t think that’s just gonna come from me being a great football player.” (25:51)

• Power52 Foundation: After Freddie Gray unrest in Baltimore, Ray started a solar company and training program for gang members, achieving an 85% placement rate.

  “We’ve given them options… taught them skills… that’s the greatest reward you ever get in business.” (34:48)

• IOA – Imagination, Opportunity, Access:

  “Return of investment is not the hot topic. The hot topic should be what I, what we created, which is IOA—imagination, opportunity, access.” (37:34)

• Expanding to Global Impact: His work spans from Baltimore to partnerships with Dikembe Mutombo for African outreach through the Spire Institute.

8. Media, Motivation, and 52 Fridays

Timestamps: 37:37–39:56

• Transition to Media: Ray’s media journey was fueled by a desire for deeper impact, leading to his “52 Fridays” program (a principle every Friday for a year).

  “The only thing that fails is your application of them. That’s it. Because the principles will never change, but you have to apply them.” (38:11)

9. Football Legacy and Brotherhood

Timestamps: 39:56–43:29

• The Ravens’ Historic Defense: Ray breaks down the numbers behind his claim for Baltimore Ravens’ 2000 defense being the greatest ever:

  “That entire year, we gave up 960 yards total… less than 10 points a game… we gave up one touchdown the entire playoffs.” (40:36)

• True Legacy:

  “I never cared about how great I became. I only cared about the people that was beside me. My brothers. The brotherhood was my greatest investment.” (42:27)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Contract Negotiations:

  “Player money no longer impresses me. I want to know what he does. Because if he can pay me this much, then I need to learn that.” — Ray Lewis (02:17, 15:45)

• On Ownership:

  “When you become a boss, you don’t think about your next check. You write the checks. That’s the difference.” (17:46)

• On Black Ownership:

  “We own. We control sports… but you’re not changing that unless you’re sitting in the ownership rooms.” (19:16)

• On Partnership:

  “Partnerships in life is only based off one thing. Relationships.” (23:43)

• On Changing Communities:

  “Return of investment is not the hot topic… IOA—imagination, opportunity, access.” (37:34)

• On Legacy:

  “The greatest achievement you ever have in life, that’s legacy.” (43:29)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:17]: Ray on player pay vs. owner perspectives
• [04:11]: Mentorship from Ozzy Newsome
• [05:38]: The hidden financial realities of athlete contracts
• [13:21]: NIL, college athlete empowerment, and the value of one’s name
• [15:45]: Partnerships and demand for ownership stakes
• [19:16]: The lack of Black ownership in the NFL
• [23:43]: Insights from owners’ meetings
• [25:51]: Why Ray prefers to focus on societal impact over coaching
• [34:48]: Power52 Foundation and real-world impact
• [38:11]: “52 Fridays” personal development challenge
• [40:36]: Defense stats and football legacy
• [42:27]: What legacy really means to Ray Lewis

---

Tone and Language

Ray Lewis brings directness, passion, and a sense of mission to every answer. The conversation is inspirational and eye-opening, blending hard financial truths with deep life philosophy and a challenge to elevate from merely earning to owning.

---

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a masterclass in transitioning from a high-earning athlete to a legacy-building entrepreneur and community leader. Ray Lewis’s advice applies to anyone seeking to move from short-term success to long-term significance—start with ownership, invest in relationships, understand the real business behind the checks, and measure legacy by the lives you impact, not just the trophies you win.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human earners.

[Podcast Co-Host]

What's up? Look, if you've been sitting on a business idea, a side hustle, or a brand you wanted to launch, this is your sign to finally make it happen. Wix Harmony lets you create an entire website just by telling it what you want. Literally. You type it and it builds a site for you with business features already included. And the best part, you still have full control to edit everything yourself. It's fast, it's smart, and it makes building a website way easier than people think. Try it [e-mail] Harmony that's wix.com Harmony

[Sponsor Voice]

Dell PCs with Intel inside are built for the moments that matter. Built for the busy days that turn into all night study sessions. The moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet's taken. Yeah, the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work. Built with a long lasting battery so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet. And built in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it. Find technology built for the way you [e-mail] DellPCS built for you

[Interviewer]

Amazon Health AI presents painful thoughts I I can't

[Podcast Host]

stop scratching my downtown.

[Ray Lewis]

Mm, yeah, but I'm not itching to

[Podcast Host]

go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown. Some things you'd rather type than say out loud.

[Interviewer]

There's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health AI. Chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24. 7 Healthcare just got less painful.

[Podcast Host]

Every business has an ambition. PayPal open is the platform designed to help you grow into yours. With access to business loans so you can expand and hundreds of millions of PayPal customers worldwide. Your customers can pay all the ways they want today with PayPal, Venmo, pay later and all major cards so you can focus on the future when you need a partner trusted by millions. There's one platform for all business PayPal open grow today at paypalopen.com loans subject to approval in available locations.

[Ray Lewis]

Stop with endorsements. That's a check. And if somebody's able to write you that check, well then I don't want the check. I'll give you example. I signed my third contract. I'm sitting in the room and the owner walks in and he says, listen, we're going to make him the highest paid player in the game. So they give me $50 million right. They give me 20 up front and my agent looked at me and I got up and walked out of the room and he was like, what's wrong? Why are you walking out of the room? I said, because it finally cleared. Player money no longer impresses me. I want to know what he does, because if he can pay me this much, then, then I need to learn that. Show some love, make some noise.

[Interviewer]

Super bowl, we are here. The sun is out,

[Ray Lewis]

My mic working.

[Podcast Co-Host]

There you go.

[Interviewer]

Make some noise for the legend Ray

[Ray Lewis]

Lewis, ladies and gentlemen.

[Interviewer]

The best ever in this position. One of the best ever to play the game, but more importantly, a great man, a great humanitarian. So thank you for doing this, brother.

[Ray Lewis]

Absolutely, brother. I appreciate what you guys are doing. Absolutely. Life changing messages and it's just beautiful to know it. Absolutely, absolutely.

[Podcast Co-Host]

So I, I think, you know, obviously

[Ray Lewis]

people know the football career.

[Podcast Co-Host]

They know from the athletic side, obviously, hall of Fame, one of the best

[Ray Lewis]

ever to do it.

[Podcast Co-Host]

But you're doing a lot of stuff on the business side, and so I

[Ray Lewis]

kind of want to start there.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Let's go back to 1996 when they're getting drafted.

[Ray Lewis]

There's a gentleman by the name of

[Podcast Co-Host]

Ozzy Newsom who played an integral role,

[Ray Lewis]

obviously bringing you to the team, but also mentoring you and guiding you off the field.

[Podcast Co-Host]

So talk about the role and impact

[Ray Lewis]

that Ozzy had on your life. Yeah, it was interesting because when Ozzy first drafted me to Baltimore, I'm sitting in the, in the locker and waiting on this phone call, and then he calls and says, we're going to draft you to Baltimore. And I says, I said, baltimore doesn't have a team. Like, how are you drafting me to Baltimore? You know, and he's like, nah, you know, we're coming from Cleveland. And I'm like, what? All of the teams I could have been drafted to, I go to freaking Baltimore. And from the first day, man, when he told me I was coming in, what he invested into me on the field was one thing, but the investment that he gave me off the field was everything. And it was everything about the front office and understanding how the entire machine actually runs. And at a very young age, I wanted to know that because I just didn't want to be a player on the field. I wanted to be a player off the field as well. And so Ozzy, still to this day, he just called me a week ago, I'm talking about some stuff. So we had that relationship since I was 19 years old, and now I'm 47 years old with that same Relationship with Ozzy.

[Interviewer]

So I want to talk about some financial stuff because we was talking over there and you were saying how a lot of guys, you know, obviously make a lot of poor decisions when it comes to finances. But you know, talking about taxes and what looks like a 40 million dollar contract really isn't a 40 million dollar contract. You. Can you kind of break that down a little bit?

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah, look, it's, it's really simple. I think a lot of us look at athletes contracts and the first thing you look at is the number. Right? But the one thing you don't look at is how much of that number is gone before you even sign the check. Right. That number does not really exist. Right. So you say, oh my gosh, this guy made $100 million. Absolutely not. Right? 40% is coming to Uncle Sam, whoever that is that you're paying your money to immediately. And so when I started to do probably in year eight or nine is really start to understand why I was not counting my own money. Right? We hire people to count our money for us. We hire people to get a, to give us monthly updates. Right on. Oh, well, you spent this this month? Well, I don't need you to tell me that. If I see my statements myself, if I know where every penny of my money is going, then yeah, I can do that myself. And so, interesting enough, when I got done playing, I partnered with a guy recently by the name of Julio Gonzalez, probably one of the number one tax guys in the world. And for him to take me through the entire tax bracket and how they don't pay taxes, you know, you think about rich. Being rich is great because you can buy a lot of things. Being wealthy, you can pass that to the generation after generation after generation. But you have to know it's not about making money. It's how do you keep money. Right? That's the number one rule of life, right? I can. People can pay. You see it all the time. People pay athletes all the time, pay actors all the time. You never get an opportunity to sit in the rooms where they're talking about ownership or partnership. Why? Because the most important thing is a relationship. And they don't have a relationships with athletes. They have a relationships with a number. A number is 52, a number is 80, a number is 32, a number is whatever your number is. That's what they relate to. Why? Because that's what makes their money. Right. But one of the biggest disconnects that all players must understand. I stopped taking endorsements 2000, 2010. 2010. Why I bought my name back. Why? Because I don't need endorsements. Right. Like, I want ownership. Right. I want partnership. Right. Because partnership then dictates and shows me what a relationship is. Right. Every hand that I've shook in my. In my professional career, that hand remembered why I shook their hand. And it was not because they wrote me a check. It's because I told them I'll be seeing them again on the other side of football. Right? That's. That's the exciting part for me. Yeah. Yes, sir. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

So when did that light bulb click? Was somebody educating you on that?

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah. And you have to. You have to search for that education. So one of the greatest educators ever. And regardless of what anybody thinks, if you don't have a relationship with God, it's almost impossible to control your life. Right? Like. Like you have to have someone who's in the forefront of your life that you actually go to. So God has been in my life my entire life. My mom's a pastor. My dad was a pastor before he passed last year. So I've always been raised from that core. But that's the foundation of who you are. So when you start to look for information and you start to pray for people, for God to surround you around the right people. I had the wrong people around me when I was in my 20s, but by the time I got in my mid-30s, God was surrounding me around people that can educate me. Right. And once I started to grab that education. That's food, right? He says that you would know my people by the fruit that they bear. So I wanted to know the fruit that the people was around me. What fruit are you bearing? Don't tell me you can show me how to make money. I can make money myself, but show me how I can affect people, right? Show me how I can dictate my next part of my legacy. Making titles is great, Right? Playing in the National Football League was one of the most amazing things ever.

[Interviewer]

Why?

[Ray Lewis]

Because it brought my mother out of the hood. Right? And so that's. That's where I think guys have to take a deeper dive if you really want to change your life. Because if you really believe money is going to do it, it won't. Right? It'll give you ups and downs. The devil has the same power. God has the only power he doesn't have. He can't save your life, but he can give you everything that this world offers. And most of it is fast, most of it is shiny, and most of it spins. Right? God gives you things that does the opposite. Yeah. And all Lord's people said amen.

[Podcast Co-Host]

So you talked about in your 20s and, you know, being here this week, super bowl week, it's been kind of a common theme amongst some of the

[Ray Lewis]

players is that, yeah, early on in

[Podcast Co-Host]

their career, they didn't have the people around them.

[Ray Lewis]

They didn't have the education.

[Podcast Co-Host]

And a lot of it is because they didn't care to know, because they were taking recommendations from people.

[Ray Lewis]

It's the setup. It's what happens. And when you're 17 years old. When you're 17 years old, this agent walks up to you. He says, don't mention my name again. But I want to be your agent. And you, because you're broke and you have absolutely nothing, you say, wow, okay, I'll stay in touch with you. And while you stand in touch with him, he then follows your career and wait till you get into your junior senior year. My junior year, you know, and then there was. There was times, right? There's an nil deal now out there. So who cares about what I tell now, right? But statute of limitations are inspired. They have inspired. But when you take my. You take what I was doing in 1994, bro, 1994 was what they're letting kids do now. I was saying, why can't you be paid, right? That's. You cannot tell me if somebody wants to help me out because of what I do. Why can't you allow that? So when that started to being allowed in 1994, man, listen, bro. Bags. Bags being dropped off, bro. Like duffel bag boys. Duffel bags. Like, you're not talking to me unless I have a bag dropped off. So thin. But it's a system, right? Because a friend. Forget the friend. The friend says, hey, Ray, I got this person. I got this person. I got a lawyer, I got an agent. I got bro. And you're like, before you know it, you done trusted somebody that you have not built a relationship with, and you just give them your whole check. I mean, you write over the entire check, and you've never sat with them or have dinner with them a day in your life. And that's the system of how our kids are taught on how to go into the National Football League, the NBA, all these different things, and trust people that have not put no sweat equity into who we are, Right? It's criminal, right? To a certain. To a certain point. And so I wanted to change that, which I did.

[Interviewer]

So you mentioned nil. How do you feel about nil?

[Ray Lewis]

I think it's the nil deal. Was supposed to be different, right? What does that mean? These major colleges have endowment funds, right? The University of Miami has an endowment fund, almost $40 billion or more. Those kids are supposed to eat from that fund. They're not supposed to eat from outside. Now, once you let people from outside come in, then that's where the divide, the division of the locker room starts. Why? Because you pay a quarterback a million dollars, but you pay the lineman nothing. But the quarterback can't throw the ball unless the lineman blocking, right? So all of the. The way it was supposed to be distributed, when I was arguing the issue, I was saying, listen, if my number 52 makes a certain dollar amount, then I should eat from that. Why shouldn't I eat from my money, from my name that I make? You. You cannot make money off my name. Right? There's no Fortune 500 company in America that you can use their brand. You cannot use the NFL logo by yourself. You wear a shirt and you advertise that they gonna want a percentage of that. Well, then my name should represent the same thing. And every athlete should represent that exact same thing. Which it doesn't, right? Because the nflpa, we're up under this brand, right? I made over Jesus my jersey from 2005 to 2008, bro. Listen. Hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Podcast Co-Host]

I have it.

[Ray Lewis]

You have it. And you. And think about a $250 jersey, and I got a $5,000 check. Sums off with that math. Sums off with that math. But it's the same thing with the nil dealing colleges pay the kids from where they make the money. Don't let outside endorsers come in. Once again, the endorsement model, because that takes the. That's. That takes the attention off of them. The endorsement model is not the way to go, man. And I'm telling you, it's going to continue to divide our children just like the Portal. The Portal is cool, but the Portal takes the leash off what greatness really is. Man's greatness hurts. That's a lot of down days that you got to go through to find out what greatness is. And now kids are in the Portal, and they can run away from that so quickly. Yeah, they disagree with the coach. I'm transferring this year. You know, I got four sons, I got four kings, I got two queens. And I went through that whole battle and I'm sitting there saying, son, earn a job. I was never given a job. I had to take a job, you know, and so a lot of these things that they're creating, I think it's taking the issue off what the real issue is. Like our kids should be paid, but they should be compensated for where the money sits, and that's in this endowment funds.

[Podcast Co-Host]

That's an absolute fact, man, I never even thought about that. The endowments of the schools. But you said endorsements aren't the way. And so it makes me wonder at that point, you're getting a salary from the NFL, but you're not doing endorsements. We all, you know, we preach having one income is too close to none. What other type of alternatives did you seek to find? All a way to make money off the field.

[Ray Lewis]

Partnerships. Oh, okay. Partnerships, right. Everybody wants to shake your hand and they want to. They want to make you the greatest thing ever, right? Oh, my gosh. Come do this. Come speak here, come do that. I will if I own part of that. Because if I own part of that, then I got ownership in that. And if I got ownership in that, then I speak about it a little more boldly. I have a little more energy of getting up every morning to come do what you want me to do. No matter how much you own, right? Think about owning 100% of nothing. That's nothing. But if you got your hands in enough things that I got my hands in, man, I got percentage in this. I got 28, 28, 30, 30 plus companies, man, that my hands is in that I own or partner, which means I have a relationship with them. If I can teach my kids, stop with endorsements, that's a check. And if somebody's able to write you that check, well, then I don't want the check. I'll give you example. I signed my third contract. I'm sitting in the room and the owner walks in and he says, listen, we're going to make him the highest paid player in the game. So they give me $50 million, right? They give me 20 up front. And my agent looked at me and I got up and walked out of the room. And he was like, what's wrong? Why are you walking out of the room? I said, because it finally cleared. Player money no longer impresses me. I want to know what he does. Because if he can pay me this much, then I need to learn that business, right? So athletes think about this. Athletes are never introduced to the owner concept until you make enough money. Because they tell you, I'll put you in the next slot, right? Every athlete is slotted. So whether you think an agent is relevant or not, every athlete, the number is already marked. So when you come to that number, you're like, ah, I want a few more million. I want a few hundred thousand more, maybe, but you're slotted. So they always make us think about the player. And then I wanted to know what an owner thinks. Like, so then I started sitting myself around owners, and I started to say, wow, that's a different conversation than I have in a locker room full of players. They don't even think about ownership. They don't even think about owning their IP at all. The only thing they think about is their next check. When you become a boss, you don't think about your next check. You write the checks. That's the difference. Absolutely.

[Interviewer]

That's a bar. So ownership, staying on the ownership theme, the NFL, I think it's like maybe 65% of black players make up the NFL.

[Ray Lewis]

73.

[Interviewer]

73, okay. No black ownership. So there's the Rooney rule to try to, you know, have more black head coaches, which a lot of people think that that's flawed, but at least they have something in place. What are your thoughts on having the majority of the league be black players? Have no black ownership. And how can we get it to the point where there is representation in the owner's box?

[Ray Lewis]

We own. We control sports. Right. Blacks dominate that from NFL level. But you're not changing that unless you're sitting in the ownership rooms. So we can argue all we want to about not having black coaches, but until we get a black owner in that office or two, then that ain't changing. No matter what rule you want to talk about. This is what I'm saying. Like, we only look for the check. We only look for the position that's given in today's time. It's time for us to take that. That's what partnerships and ownership is, right? My goal is simple. My goal has never changed. I'm 47 years old. The next five to seven years, my goal is to put myself in the right position to possibly become the first black minority owner in the National Football League. Why? Because I want to change the narrative, right? If we don't do that, if we don't do that, then no conversation changes.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Why do you think that hasn't happened?

[Ray Lewis]

Especially. It's simple. I'm thinking about this.

[Podcast Co-Host]

73% of you, right, control the league. We got some of the greatest players that's ever played this game, multi millionaires. How come there's never been, or maybe there has been a conversation to come together as a group to become more than the minority or become the investment group behind the ownership of a team.

[Ray Lewis]

If the Attraction from literally to college to. From Little League to high school to college to the National Football League. The attraction is to make a check. The attraction is to get out the hood. The attraction has never been, how do you become owner? Nobody teaches that unless you're sitting in that room to listen what owners are discussing. So luckily in my career, I was able to start sitting in those rooms.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ray Lewis]

To sit there and listen what they're talking about. And I said, and I started to say it, I said, man, they was like, oh, my gosh, this much player signed for this much money. I said, that does not impress me. Do you know the person who's writing the check? That's what I'm chasing. And so until that dynamic starts to really change and we have enough of us, who understands our true power is what we can do together. But the individual, individual check is written. And then, so this person gonna, I gotta take my money, I gotta take my money. I gotta take my money, I gotta take my money. And it's great. You can take your money. But the generations after that, they're still the same model. I just think the model can only change if we're sitting in those owner's meetings. Yes. I'm saying there's a lot of investment. You asked me about coaching, right? There's a lot of investing that goes into coaching, right? There's a lot of investing to go from coaches to the GMs, right? GM to the owner. Those are steps. And you have to be invested to do that. But you, you, you also have to have the education to understand all of the aspects of the game and not just playing the game, right? When you get in the front office, you're not only just counting people checks, right? You're talking about everything that walks in that building, right? Tomorrow's game, the only thing we see is a game, man, that's a zillion dollar business, right? With intricate parts that everybody has to be in control of. And so that's why I'm telling you, like, until you start to sit down and study that world, it's. And that's one vertical. Go to the mlb, go to the NBA, NHL, same model, bunch of owners got together, put a pool together, let's make this money, let's build this. And that's what they do, right? So you. We have the ability, but because of the checks being so current, it never crosses our mind to become owner. We're okay with being a player, right? So I started to make a transition halfway through my career.

[Interviewer]

So when you, you were fortunate Enough to be in those owners meetings. What's some of the things that you. You learned from just sitting and listening to the conversations, man.

[Ray Lewis]

Nothing matters to them but what each one of them think. Seriously, like. And that's what I respect about that meeting. It's like, that's why I go back to talking about partnership. Partnerships in life is only based off one thing. Relationships. That's it, bro. Who you do partner, who you partner with, that's a relationship. And that's what I. That's what I respect so much about the relationships that they have in that circle of power that they have. That's why they sign deals together. That's why they broke the TV deals together. You know, it's like, it's a genius concept, right? But how many of us will really come together and break that concept?

[Interviewer]

You said something that was very insightful. You said that they only care about what each other thinks.

[Ray Lewis]

That's it. You don't. You don't care about what somebody else show does. You work your show, you call your

[Interviewer]

guy, or you don't care about just what yourself thinks?

[Ray Lewis]

No, you what the overall theme is, we have a machine. The machine must run, right? Players, careers, three years, three and a half years, and the next one come in, and the next one come in, and the next one come in. It's a revolving door in all the sports. All the sports is ran exactly like this. That's why the next thing, the neck. The only. The most important person you had to go to in an athlete's life in the owner's perspective, is the next one.

[Interviewer]

That's crazy. That's crazy.

[Ray Lewis]

It's the only way they work.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Who's next?

[Interviewer]

Nobody's bigger than the program.

[Ray Lewis]

It's the only way. It's the only way that works, bro. There's nobody bigger than them, bigger than the machine.

[Podcast Co-Host]

You referenced the fact that I asked you about coaching, but the answer I got, I think we should elaborate on it, was the power of impact. And it's something that I had to experience working in education and realize that

[Ray Lewis]

I can affect the school, but I

[Podcast Co-Host]

can affect the world doing something different. Talk about why you haven't chosen to coach. Because of the power of impact.

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, the. The coaching side is. It's attractive, right? Because I've been in my entire life, I've been playing, I've been coaching, I've been mentoring, I've been doing a lot of those things, but with the impact that I'm trying to make, I just want to hear the Lord When I finally go home, said, well done, my good and faithful servant. I don't think that's just gonna come from me being a great football player. I think that's gonna come from me making an impact on people and being alike amongst people to show them the way. God says, many are called, but few are chosen. See, the question I got is, how do you become a part of the few? Right. That's a real question. That's a real question. Right. And so coaching is great. And I'm 47, so maybe I coach at 55. But with what I'm doing with each one of my companies, one of my ventures being 52 ventures, Prosperity Reimagine is how do we go into these communities, and how do we change the look of those communities? All this money that they keep saying we're giving this much money to black communities, I have not seen one black community change.

[Interviewer]

It's a fact.

[Ray Lewis]

And I mean real change. Right? So. So that for me, I've sat down, studied them. 20 plus years I've been in the hoods, I've been in the prisons. I'm walking around, I'm trying to figure it out. And every time I see a Martin Luther King Street, I'm saying, why is Martin Luther King street in the most dysfunctional place in the city? That has to change. So that's why I think my focus and what I'm focusing on now is much bigger. So if I want to come back to coaching, I will. I just don't think right now is the time. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

So we always hear horror stories of athletes getting taken advantage of from financial advisors, from accountants, from lawyers, everyone. What is the process to actually be able to trust somebody? And what should you never do to kind of safeguard yourself from being taken advantage of?

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah. I think you should always have three layers, right? You should have your spiritual foundation, your family foundation, and then your business foundation. In all three of those layers, you must have somebody at every level. Right. To spiritually guide you. Family is somebody you trust. And then business is somebody who has to answer to your family and your spiritual guidance. Right. Because once they have the answer to them, the problem is we do an opposite. Right. Our talent opens the door. We go in and we sign a check. As soon as we sign the check, the first thing we do is sign it over to an agent that we just met two weeks ago, who then passes to his financial team, and then they start distributing your money, and you never see your money ever again. So. So we have to check, but it's the it's the model. It's the model, right? And every. Almost every person goes down that same model if you don't change that model. About one of the things I started doing with my financial advisor, right? I said every penny, every penny that leaves or comes into my account, I should be alerted. Every penny, right. And what does that mean? I should have the same access you have. You should not have to call me in two weeks to let. To report on my money. No, I should be reporting to you what I want to do with my money. But that's taking ownership, right? It's back to ownership and it's back to partnership. I have a great partnership with my financial teams and I have ownership of all of my entire world. And that's why I like to sit. I got spiritual guidance, I got family guidance with my mom and what she does. And then I have business teams that actually oversee each other and making sure that I am not being hustled, which I have. I've been down that road, bro. Millions of dollars. Come on, man.

[Interviewer]

You want to talk about it, bro?

[Ray Lewis]

Talk about it. I'm still looking for the people with knowledge. Easy, easy. Statute of limitations, man. May not have expired. Is it? No, but it's. It's crazy because you trust people, man, and you trust people and you trust them to. To do what's best for you. And then you realize that that person ain't equally yoked. That person has no God in their life. And the only thing you trust is, well, I've been in Financial for 15 years, 20 years, okay? And now that I'm on this side of life, I'm able to say, and right. Nah, you got to ask those questions. The easiest thing to do is give somebody a check. The hardest thing to do is ask questions that you don't know, that they don't know how to tell you. It's the hardest thing to do.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Earners. You know what separates a lot of companies today?

[Ray Lewis]

Speed.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Not just having a great idea, but how fast you can actually execute it. Because we've all seen it before. Marketing wants a new landing page. Design already mocked it up and engineering says we'll get to it next week. Meanwhile, opportunity is already gone. That's why so many businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies are building with Framer. Framer is a website builder that turns your.com from just a digital business card into an actual growth engine. It works like your team's favorite design tool with real time collaboration, a powerful cms, built in SEO tools, analytics, and even a b testing tool so your team can build, optimize and launch faster. And the best part? Changes go live in seconds with one click. Publish without needing engineering to step in every single time. Framer also gives enterprise level hosting security and 99.99% uptime SLAs, which is why brands like Perplexity, Miro and Mixpanel trust them to power their websites. Whether you're launching a new brand, testing landed pages or rebuilding your entire site, Framer helps you move from idea to execution fast. Learn how to get more out of your.com from a framer specialist or get started building for free [e-mail] earn for 30% off a Framer Pro annual plan. That's Framer.com earn for 30% off Framer.com earn rules and restrictions may apply AI is changing everything right now, and website creation is officially part of the wave WIX just introduced Wix Harmony and honestly, it's one of the smartest tools we've seen for entrepreneurs, creators and business owners. Here's how it works. You simply type what you want your website to look like and Wix Harmony builds it for you, complete with forms, payment options, security and everything you need to actually run a business online. But what makes it different is that you're not just stuck letting AI control everything. You can still manually edit your site however you want to, or you can use their AI assistant Aria to make updates for you instantly. That's important because anybody who's used AI knows how frustrating it can be repeating prompts over and over just to make one small change. Wix Harmony removes that headache and makes the process simple. If you got a business idea, a personal brand, or a company that needs a real online presence, this is definitely something worth checking out. Try it for [e-mail] harmony that's wix.com

[Interviewer]

harmony Amazon Health AI presents painful thoughts

[Podcast Host]

why did I search the Internet for answers to my cold sore problem? Now I'm stuck down a rabbit hole filled with images of alarmingly graphic sores in various stages of ooze. I can clear my search history, but I can never unsee that.

[Interviewer]

Don't go down the rabbit hole. Amazon Health AI gets you the right care fast. Healthcare just got less painful.

[Sponsor Voice]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt from renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers. Growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities. Completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures yeah, let's talk

[Ray Lewis]

about the work, right? Because I can hear the passion in you. I could imagine you coming into a community. There's going to be a presence that you feel. Yeah, so let's talk about 52 foundations

[Podcast Co-Host]

and the work that y' all are doing because it's incredible, right? Giving economic assistance to the youth.

[Ray Lewis]

Talk about the, the, obviously the, the

[Podcast Co-Host]

goal of it, the start of it, and how everything has been functioning inside of it.

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah, One of them, one of my other Companies started in 2015 in Baltimore after the unrest at Freddie Gray, right? And at that time I started a solar company at the time. And why? Because I started walking the streets and you know, the streets of Baltimore was burning and everybody was just fucking frustrated. And you know, Baltimore is beautiful, but it has a bad black eye content to it. And so my company started in 2015 and now, man, Jesus, I think we just had our 24th, 25th graduation, right? To where now we've took hundreds of gang members off the streets and we've given them options, right? We've given them an alternative because they're not going to work for a four or five dollar job, but if you teach them a solar job, right, which then leads into construction, which then leaves them leaving their block that they're fighting for and leave the freaking state to go work another job somewhere else, right? And so now you give them. And so the greatest ability to see that is walk up to those graduations and listen to a mother saying he gave up drug life and you saved my son's life. It's the greatest reward you ever get in business. And so that's why with Power52 foundation is it's remarkable because it gives somebody a fresh breath of that, maybe I made a mistake, but I can pick myself up and I can keep going. And that's what we do. Right? So whether it's second and third chance offenders, whoever that may come in there, right. We give you second and third chances, we give you fourth chances, we give you fifth chances. Right. We have an 85% placement rate. The moment you leave our school, you get hired immediately. Right. If we don't start there. Right. Another one of my partners, we own these waste managements in Baltimore. Another huge project from an academy standpoint is in Geneva, Ohio, called Spire Institute. Same concept as img, but what we're doing inside of that academy is we're teaching children how to actually function in a, in a very dysfunction culture. How do you do that? Right. That's why me and Dikembe Mutombo finally partner. So now we have a relationship with Africa, with, with NBA Africa coming through Spire, right to where it can. We can take kids who's living in poverty and then put them in 850,000 square foot building and feed them every day and change their culture and change what they see. A lot of people focus on roi, Return of investment, return of, of investment, return of investment. But if you think about the communities that I live in, return of investment is not the hot topic. The hot topic should be what I, what we created, which is ioa, imagination, opportunity, access. Right?

[Interviewer]

Clap it up for that.

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah. Heavy ball.

[Interviewer]

So, yeah, let me ask you this. You're in media, and that's something that a lot of athletes, very hot right now, right? Everybody, when they retire, they want to become a broadcaster, but very few people are actually able to be successful in that space. So talk about how your transition in media happened and how you were able to become successful in another leg of your career. And like I said, that's actually probably harder to be successful in TV than it is on the field.

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah, yeah. People ask me all these questions every day, just every day, like, how can I do this? How can I get better? How this? And I was like. And I was talking to my team and I was like, man, you know, the podcast is great and I'm doing this and I got this going, but I got, I got to go a little bit deeper, right? So I was like, you know what? Every Friday we're going to do 52 Fridays. Because this ironic year, 2023, there's actually 52 Fridays in this year. And inside of these 52 Fridays, there will be a principle that you have to not listen to, but you have to apply. And that principle carries you to the next week until you get to the next Friday. But by the time you get to 52 Fridays, you will have 52 principles. And the only thing that fails is your application of them. That's it. Right? Because the, because the principles will never change, but you have to apply them. Right? And so that's what 52 Fridays was kind of birthed from. Like really sharing with, with watching the podcast, grow it with the way it grew, and then realizing like, people are hearing it, but how many people are applying it. So 52 Friday says now apply. Apply that. And now when you apply it, I need you to send that back to me. Show me your application. Right? And so now all of these fans and stuff are sending information back. I'm off work, but I'm in the. I'm in. I'm in my dungeon at 1 and 2 o' clock in the morning, right? I said I wasn't gonna eat this, so now I'm working out, right? So it's, it's really crazy, man, when you see how much traffic comes in of just people just collaborating. Yeah, awesome question.

[Interviewer]

So football, we were talking offline ESPN 30 for 30. Oh, wait, they said that? Well, we talked about if you guys were the greatest defense ever. So, you know, some people say the Bears.

[Ray Lewis]

Who said that? Oh, that's the Chicago guy. So you saw the Bears era. So I'm g. Respect that. I'mma respect that. Go ahead.

[Interviewer]

But you, you gave a very convincing argument why you guys had the best defense. Can you talk about why you think you have the best defense ever?

[Podcast Co-Host]

I'mma take think out of it.

[Ray Lewis]

You take think out of it while

[Podcast Co-Host]

you know you're the best defense.

[Ray Lewis]

Yeah, yeah. Look, look, look. I'm. I'm going to leave it to you like this, right? The game is based off numbers. It'll never change, Right? What that defense done in that year will never be repeated ever again. Right? We gave her. We gave up. This is in one game. Running backs are running for 200 yards, 300 yards. Teams are running for 400 yards, right? That entire year, we gave up 960 yards total. We gave up less than 10 points a game. 9.6. 9.6. We had five shutouts. We went five weeks without scoring an offensive touchdown. And one and one, three out of those five, right? And we get into the playoffs and this is the stat that I, I'm telling you, like, if you want to crown the greatest. We went into the playoffs and we gave up one touchdown the entire playoffs. We went in the super bowl and they had 16 possessions. Run them down. Punt. Run down. Punt, yeah. Punt, yeah. Punt, yep. Punt, yeah. Interception. Punt, yep. Punt, yeah. Punt, yeah. Punt, yeah. Intercepts. There you go. Punt, yep. Punt. Punt. Punt. Interception. Game over.

[Interviewer]

Case closed. Case closed. Oh, man. Ray, it's been a pleasure, man. Before we leave, when you look back on your career, you've done so much, you've been tremendously blessed. What do you want your legacy to be when it's all said and done?

[Ray Lewis]

Oh, man. That's the best question I've always gotten. Because that is the kind of one of the most easiest questions. And that is, I never cared about how great I became. I only cared about the people that was beside me. My brothers. The brotherhood was my greatest investment. And still to this day, last week in Vegas for the Pro bowl, this week here, the young men that was lost Lions then come up to me now and say, papa, thank you for investing into me. So you can do a lot of things in sports and they can argue who's the best. But when you have the ability to change the direction of somebody's life, the greatest achievement you ever have in life, that's legacy.

[Interviewer]

Make some noise for the legend, the legend themselves.

[Ray Lewis]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try.

[Podcast Host]

@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] Lots of places can

[Sponsor Voice]

expose you to identity theft. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity, which is way more

[Ray Lewis]

than anyone can do on their own. If we find anything suspicious, like new

[Sponsor Voice]

loans or changes to your financial accounts,

[Ray Lewis]

we alert you right away, all through

[Sponsor Voice]

text, phone, email or the LifeLock app. Save up to 30% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iHeart terms apply.

[Podcast Co-Host]

Earnest, what's up? Look, let's face it, most guys just power through pain and strains. But the smart move is taking action early before it turns into something bigger. That's where a physical therapist comes in. They can assess what's really going on and create a plan tailored specifically for you. And and physical therapy isn't just for recovering after an injury. It's about staying ahead of them, building strength, improving movement, and supporting longevity so you can live life on your own terms. To learn more and find a local physical therapist, visit choosept.com@cvs.

[Podcast Host]

It matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night, and we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit [e-mail] or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.