Receiver wouldn’t change a thing
When Ingram-Lewis raised fist, he had to go elsewhere to play
Cedric Ingram-Lewis couldn’t ignore the comments and opinions. Much like his and cousin Larry McCullough’s names, they were plastered on every medium in October 2017.
Ingram-Lewis saw one comment and couldn’t help but feel shock.
“‘Who raised kids like this?’ ” he recalled reading. “‘Even if speaking your mind made you do something like this, they should be killed or punished for what they did.’ ”
There was worse out there, but there were supporters, too. Someone sent a letter to IngramLewis’ home encouraging him and his cousin to stay grounded in what they believed.
“Never let anyone take what you believe is right away from you,” Ingram recalled as the gist of the letter.
Inspired in part by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s desire to bring awareness to racial injustice and police brutality, Ingram-Lewis raised his fist while McCullough kneeled during the national anthem before a September 2017 game for Victory & Praise Christian Academy. They were immediately told to remove their uniforms, and McCullough was kicked off the squad. Ingram-Lewis left the team in support of his cousin.
Now 17 months later, IngramLewis, a wide receiver, is joining Texas Wesleyan’s 2019 football class on national signing day.
“We were thinking, ‘What’s next?’ ” Ingram-Lewis said. “‘What are we going to do? Where are we going to go? Where am I going to finish my senior season?’ ”
McCullough, a senior at the time, is now playing junior college basketball in Tennessee. Ingram-Lewis, then a junior, landed at Crosby, where he played as
a senior in 2018.
In the same time frame of Ingram-Lewis and McCullough’s ordeal, Houston ISD announced it would not require its students to stand for the national anthem, citing the 1943 Supreme Court ruling that students may not be compelled to participate in patriotic activities.
Members of the Houston Heights football team took a knee during the national anthem before one of their games. Other demonstrations in the state took place at an Arlington Heights football game in 2017 and a Desoto volleyball game in 2016.
While the relationship between sports and activism and race relations remains front and center, Ingram-Lewis and McCullough were a focal point in 2017. With their situation drawing attention far and wide, from the New York Times to seemingly every TV station imaginable, Ingram-Lewis remembers his family being pulled in many directions.
He also remembers the war of words. Victory & Praise coach Ronnie Mitchem told the players he wouldn’t condone kneeling, citing his military service. He hasn’t backed off his stance.
Ingram-Lewis believes just as strongly about his actions. It’s why he and his cousin explained their position in the media during the imbroglio and why at Crosby he gladly answered any curious souls who asked about his stance.
“We made sure everything was clear on why we did it and why we felt like we had to do it,” IngramLewis said.
Crosby was always home for Ingram-Lewis. He was supposed to attend the school as a freshman but instead spent time at St. Pius X before landing at Victory & Praise, a church-based private school in Crosby that plays sixman football.
Having experienced judgment elsewhere, Ingram-Lewis expected Crosby coaches to oppose his joining the team. But he received no condemnation.
“When I got there, we laughed about it, we joked about it, and kept it moving. It was never a time where we focused on just that,” Ingram-Lewis said. “They didn’t look at me like a kid that got kicked off the team. I was just another kid, and they treated me like a son.”
Ingram-Lewis had to get back in football shape and did so that spring after enrolling at Crosby in January 2018. Having played receiver and defensive back at Victory & Praise, he wasn’t going to be particular about his role. He was just glad to be back on the field and in his element.
But he became a solid contributor for the Cougars, catching 19 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns. He ran for an additional score.
Wednesday is the culmination of a mixed bag of emotions for Ingram-Lewis and his family. Ask him if he regrets anything, and he says no. He believes everything unfolded the way it was supposed to.
“I would not be where I am today,” he said, “if I didn’t make that decision.”