Rice may have been drawn to Lewis because Rice lost his father, and another father figure, at an early age.
What’s Up?: It seems like people tagged you as too short for pro football. How did you dispel those concerns?
Ray Rice: The height stuff. You make a few plays and they don’t talk about it anymore. I was told I couldn’t catch the ball coming out of college. I was too small and not fast enough. You make a few big plays and they say you are a player.
WU: How has playing against future Hall of Famer Lewis in practice helped you?
RR: Ray Lewis has been a mentor, a brother to me, and more than anything, a leader. I’m on the offensive side, but if you watch the guy, the way he plays the game, and if you just take a little bit of what he does, and the way he does it, how can you not be successful? I feel if I can make a play on Ray Lewis, I can make a play on any linebacker. It gives me an edge. It’s confidence.
WU: Baltimore is Lewis’ team. Did you seek him out when you joined the Ravens?
RR: He was definitely a guy I sought out. I think it was a bond. I wanted to be part of his life in some kind of way. I feel he has so much wisdom. I feel if I didn’t get to know Ray Lewis while he was playing the game, I would lose out on a lot of things.
WU: What did you think of being named to the Pro Bowl?
RR: The Pro Bowl is great, but who wouldn’t want to play in the other bowl? It’s good to go to the Pro Bowl and be involved in it. It’s a high honor to be respected by the league, your peers and the fans. But the big goal is the Super Bowl.
WU: You came off the bench as a rookie. Were you determined to be a much bigger contributor last season?
RR: It was my big off-season goal. I just didn’t want to be a third-down back. I just wanted to show that I am an every-down back and I can be really good at it for years to come. I learned when you put your mind toward something and set goals, you really can go out there and achieve it.
WU: How do you relax after a game? What’s your routine?
RR: If my family is in town, I usually just go to eat. I reflect on whether we won or lost. I try to find ways to relax so I can look forward to the next game. I definitely listen to music. It relaxes me. I watch a movie. You do the little things to relax after a game.
WU: Do you enjoy going out into the community and talking to kids?
RR: I visit a lot of schools during the season and when I am home in New York. I share my story. Not everybody is fortunate enough to make it to the NFL. I help kids prepare for life. Whether its football, being a doctor or a lawyer. I believe in chasing your dream. Right now, I am living my dream. Football is my outreach. If I didn’t take care of school and other things, my dream would have been a nightmare.
WU: What do you do for fun when you are not playing football?
RR: I play a lot of video games. I like to go to the movies. I like to hang out with my boys and my family. I definitely like to explore the city of Baltimore and get to know the people of Baltimore, the people who support you. I have a chance to go to a lot of different events. I like the Inner Harbor and the aquarium.
WU: What do you see yourself doing after football?
RR: I want to be a high school coach. You can watch boys grow into men. It’s a longer relationship than college. I am close with all my coaches, but the coach I am closest to is my high school coach. That relationship you have is one in a million.
WU: What causes do you believe in?
RR: I definitely do a lot of work with kids, troubled kids, and cancer patients. I am actually in the process of getting a foundation going. I am leaning more toward cancer research with young adults and adults. I have an aunt with cancer and my family has a past with cancer. It’s one of those things where you want to find out more about it and how you can help.
WU: Your father, Conrad Reed, died when you were one year old. Your cousin Myshaun Rice-Nichols died when you were eight. How did you cope?
RR: I give my mom credit because not only did she raise me, but she had to be a mother and father at the same time. It’s one of those things where I know moms could only do so much. So I had to build my life around father-type figures. But I give her a lot of credit. There are four of us and one of her. Being the oldest, I had to be the one that set the example. I lost my father and cousin when I was young. It was a lot for mom.
