OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - While the Baltimore Ravens conducted a passing camp this week, running back Jamal Lewis prepared for the 2005 NFL season within the barb-wired walls of a Florida prison camp.
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Lewis is scheduled to complete a four-month sentence next week, and reportedly will be released June 2, then must fulfill a two-month term at a halfway house in Atlanta. It's the punishment he received after pleading guilty in October to using a cell phone to try to set up a cocaine deal in 2000.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Lewis, the 2003 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has embarked on a quest to improve his body and mind.
"I'm looking at a man that has grown as a person and also has physically kept himself on top of his game," said Ravens running back coach Matt Simon, who twice visited Lewis at the federal prison in Pensacola. "As opposed to deteriorating and treating this as a negative, I see how he's found a real positive aspect of this experience. It's motivating. It's inspiring."
Simon, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and several of Lewis' teammates have visited the former All-Pro over the past few months. Most of them walk into the facility expecting the worst.
"He's doing good, man. He's holding up, considering the situation," Ravens fullback Alan Ricard said. "He looks good. He looks real good. He's ripped up. I was expecting him to be real swollen; he's more lean. I guess he's doing a lot of (exercise) and avoiding junk food."
On a typical day, Lewis wakes up before dawn and starts work in the prison tool shop at 6 a.m. After his shift, which consists primarily of distributing and hauling equipment, he diligently exercises his tender right ankle, which forced him to miss two games last season and was surgically repaired in January.
Then, according to Simon, Lewis hits the weights "like a maniac."
"He's in such great physical shape, it's been very impressive," Simon said. "He actually looks younger."
Before the lights go out, Lewis usually reads a book.
"Jamal is staying strong. He's handling it like a man," said Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, who visited last weekend. "When Jamal gets out, it's, 'Look out NFL,' because he's extremely hungry to get back on the football field. He's a strong person, and something like this isn't going to keep him down."
Lewis was accused of helping broker a cocaine deal not long after he was selected fifth overall in the 2000 NFL draft. Lewis signed a six-year, $35.3 million contract with the Ravens in July of that year, and three years later rushed for 2,066 yards, the second-highest single-season total in league history.
Certainly, Lewis would have preferred to spend the offseason elsewhere. Without question, he's ready to leave. Until that time, however, he will simply continue to make the best of an unpleasant situation.
"He's very focused, very rested. He's looking forward to getting back with his teammates," Newsome said.
"We've had constant communication," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Everybody who has been down there has come back just thrilled with Jamal's attitude, how he looks, how he feels about himself across the board. It's been a very positive experience, as best it can under those circumstances."
Baltimore completed its second voluntary passing camp Wednesday, and although Lewis was not there, he wasn't forgotten.
"It's been tough running without him, but we understand what he's going through," backup quarterback Anthony Wright said. "Hopefully, when he comes back, we're not missing a beat and everything will just be going along the way it normally is."
Lewis will miss minicamp next month, but expects to join the club during the first week of training camp in August. Adhering to curfew at the team hotel will be a breeze compared to the regimented life he currently leads. "Above all, he has a high regard for freedom, which is something we tend to take for granted," Simon said. "Right now he's eager to have freedom again and (be) an American citizen. That's beautiful, too."
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Lewis is scheduled to complete a four-month sentence next week, and reportedly will be released June 2, then must fulfill a two-month term at a halfway house in Atlanta. It's the punishment he received after pleading guilty in October to using a cell phone to try to set up a cocaine deal in 2000.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Lewis, the 2003 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has embarked on a quest to improve his body and mind.
"I'm looking at a man that has grown as a person and also has physically kept himself on top of his game," said Ravens running back coach Matt Simon, who twice visited Lewis at the federal prison in Pensacola. "As opposed to deteriorating and treating this as a negative, I see how he's found a real positive aspect of this experience. It's motivating. It's inspiring."
Simon, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and several of Lewis' teammates have visited the former All-Pro over the past few months. Most of them walk into the facility expecting the worst.
"He's doing good, man. He's holding up, considering the situation," Ravens fullback Alan Ricard said. "He looks good. He looks real good. He's ripped up. I was expecting him to be real swollen; he's more lean. I guess he's doing a lot of (exercise) and avoiding junk food."
On a typical day, Lewis wakes up before dawn and starts work in the prison tool shop at 6 a.m. After his shift, which consists primarily of distributing and hauling equipment, he diligently exercises his tender right ankle, which forced him to miss two games last season and was surgically repaired in January.
Then, according to Simon, Lewis hits the weights "like a maniac."
"He's in such great physical shape, it's been very impressive," Simon said. "He actually looks younger."
Before the lights go out, Lewis usually reads a book.
"Jamal is staying strong. He's handling it like a man," said Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, who visited last weekend. "When Jamal gets out, it's, 'Look out NFL,' because he's extremely hungry to get back on the football field. He's a strong person, and something like this isn't going to keep him down."
Lewis was accused of helping broker a cocaine deal not long after he was selected fifth overall in the 2000 NFL draft. Lewis signed a six-year, $35.3 million contract with the Ravens in July of that year, and three years later rushed for 2,066 yards, the second-highest single-season total in league history.
Certainly, Lewis would have preferred to spend the offseason elsewhere. Without question, he's ready to leave. Until that time, however, he will simply continue to make the best of an unpleasant situation.
"He's very focused, very rested. He's looking forward to getting back with his teammates," Newsome said.
"We've had constant communication," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Everybody who has been down there has come back just thrilled with Jamal's attitude, how he looks, how he feels about himself across the board. It's been a very positive experience, as best it can under those circumstances."
Baltimore completed its second voluntary passing camp Wednesday, and although Lewis was not there, he wasn't forgotten.
"It's been tough running without him, but we understand what he's going through," backup quarterback Anthony Wright said. "Hopefully, when he comes back, we're not missing a beat and everything will just be going along the way it normally is."
Lewis will miss minicamp next month, but expects to join the club during the first week of training camp in August. Adhering to curfew at the team hotel will be a breeze compared to the regimented life he currently leads. "Above all, he has a high regard for freedom, which is something we tend to take for granted," Simon said. "Right now he's eager to have freedom again and (be) an American citizen. That's beautiful, too."
