Lewis picks daughter as induction presenter
Smith era underway in D.C.; Steelers start revamping defense
Former Ravens great Ray Lewis has chosen his oldest daughter, Diaymon, to present him when he’s inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
Lewis made the announcement through the Hall of Fame, which put out a video of the one-time Ravens middle linebacker explaining his choice.
“My presenter is someone that I trust with my legacy even after I’m gone,” Lewis said in the video. “That’s my oldest daughter. I raised her under me. She’s a female me. She’s driven. She’s inspirational. She’s wired right.”
According to the Hall of Fame, just five daughters have previously been presenters for an inductee. Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Jerry Kramer, also part of the 2018 class, recently named his daughter to be his presenter.
The 2018 class also features Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Brian Dawkins, Brian Urlacher, Robert Brazile and Bobby Beathard.
“I called her [and] I said, ‘I want you to do my Hall of Fame speech.’ You would have thought she already knew,” Lewis said in the video. “My daughter wrote up this [preview] of what she wanted me to see and you can’t read it as a father without getting emotional because she remembered everything that I taught her from her [childhood].”
Lewis, 42, played his 17-year career with the Ravens and his last game was the team’s Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers following the 2012 regular season. New era in D.C.: The Alex Smith era has begun in Washington as the Redskins completed their trade for the veteran quarterback.
Smith joined the Redskins from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller ( Mount Saint Joseph). The deal and Smith’s subsequent four-year contract extension were agreed to in February but couldn’t become official until Wednesday’s start of the new league year.
“I just wanted to say how excited and happy I am to be part of the Redskins team,” Smith said in a video posted on Washington’s Twitter account. “Can’t wait to build something great together.”
Smith replaces Kirk Cousins as the Redskins’ No. 1 quarterback. Cousins spent the past three seasons as Washington’s starter and played the past two on the franchise tag. He is being courted by the Minnesota Vikings. Steelers’ cuts: Mike Mitchell brought bluster and a physical if occasionally volatile presence to the Pittsburgh secondary. William Gay was a steady hand and contributed a decade of consistency to the Steelers. Robert Golden had the hard-toquantify intangibles that made him a special teams ace and reliable backup. And now they’re gone. The two-time defending AFC North champions released all three players, signaling a shift in direction in a defensive backfield that faltered in key moments last season. Broncos sign Keenum: Case Keenum is joining his fifth team in five years and the Denver Broncos are turning to their fifth quarterback since Peyton Manning retired 24 months ago.
General manager John Elway called Keenum “a great fit for us” after the sixth-year pro parlayed a breakout year in Minnesota into a two-year, $36 million deal with Denver. Vikings’ moves: A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press the Minnesota Vikings are negotiating a trade with the Denver Broncos to acquire quarterback Trevor Siemian.
Siemian would give the Vikings a capable backup who started 24 games for the Broncos over the last two seasons, with Cousins the team’s primary target as the new league year began Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by NFL Network, was not final. Cardinals release Matthieu: Arizona released one of the team’s most popular players, safety Tyrann Mathieu, after the two sides couldn’t rework his contract. Mathieu was due for $18.75 million of his contract to be guaranteed when the league year officially begins. By cutting him, Arizona will save close to $5 million in cap space.