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Ray Lewis 'Explains' Why He Knelt During National Anthem

BOSTON (CBS) -- Ray Lewis got down on both knees during the national anthem before last Sunday's Ravens game in London, joining several players on the sideline in protest of President Donald Trump's recent comments. Lewis had previously criticized Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem - which prompted others, like Shannon Sharpe, to call for him to explain why he felt it was appropriate to do it himself.

So naturally, Lewis explained himself in a convoluted, excessively grandiose way, like only he can.

98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich went over Lewis' latest "Ray-isms" from Showtime's Inside The NFL on Wednesday's show. He had to defend his decision to kneel during the anthem last Sunday, considering his previous comments toward Kaepernick. Here's how Lewis attempted to explain himself:

"You hear people saying, 'Oh, he took a knee.' I absolutely did not take a knee. … I'm watching young kids just confused. Everybody confused. Nobody don't know what they're talking about. What I'm gonna do if I'm gonna stand up? If I'm gonna grab hands? If I'm gonna interlock? What am I gonna do? So I walked away, [James Brown], and I didn't drop on one knee and order the protest, Boomer [Esiason]. I dropped on two knees. Both knees. So I can simply honor God in the midst of chaos."

Lewis' response came mainly from comments made by Sharpe, who criticized Lewis for going against his own sentiment that he would never kneel during the national anthem. When asked about why he's directing his response at Sharpe, Lewis went on another tangent:

"[Sharpe] goes out and tells somebody why he's so disappointed in me. … Now all these people are going off his soundbites of how he's so shocked that I dropped on a knee to protest. Really? You got my phone number. … A friend picks up the cell phone and says 'What was your intention?' … Let me ask you a serious question. I have first amendment rights. We've got people standing, we've got people bowing, we've got people who don't even wanna respect the flag. If we wanna make it right, make it two ways: you can only stand or pray."

Listen above as Toucher & Rich react to Lewis' latest rants, and possibly introduce a fresh character: Robot Ray Lewis?

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