LEWIS STATUE GUARDED

A petition on Change.org to remove the statue of former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in front of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore has garnered more than 57,000 signatures, and the dissent over Lewis going to both knees during the national anthem last weekend has led to extra security around the statue. “Certainly, observers can notice the presence of uniformed security officers at M&T Bank Stadium, which includes the statue plaza,” Rachelina Bonacci, a spokesperson for the Maryland Stadium Authority, told The Baltimore Sun. Lewis joined 13 current Ravens in protesting in response to President Trump’s comments. “You hear people say I took a knee,” Lewis said on Showtime’s Inside the NFL. “Absolutely not. I did not take a knee. ... I didn’t drop on one knee in order to protest. I dropped on two knees, both knees, so I can simply honor God in the midst of chaos.”