FoxNFLBy Ken Fang on

After a three-year stint on ESPN, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will now be a Fox Sports/FS1 NFL analyst. The official announcement was made on Undisputed but was reported earlier by Mike McCarthy of The Sporting News:

According to Fox, Lewis will be seen on various FS1 studio shows such as Undisputed, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Speak for Yourself as well as the upcoming morning show co-hosted by Cris Carter and Nick Wright that will premiere in September.

In the official announcment, Lewis is happy that he’s joining Fox:

“My relationship with football and love for the game continues to grow,” said Lewis. “This opportunity, to bring my passion for the game of football into homes of NFL fans across the country through FOX Sports is a gift. I am excited to join this team and can’t wait for the NFL season to start!”

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Lewis spent his entire NFL playing career with the Ravens and upon retirement went to ESPN where he was an analyst on Sunday and Monday NFL Countdown as well as on the network’s NFL Draft coverage. He lasted until 2016, but not after he had a few interesting moments like checking his phone on the air and skipping the 2015 Draft to spend time in Baltimore following riots there.

But overall, he wasn’t the caliber of analyst that ESPN had been hoping for and thus, the network let him go when his contract was up. Now he joins Fox where he’ll have plenty of platforms to spout his opinions.

Fox Sports Vice President Daily Studio Production and FS1 Executive Producer Whit Albohm is singing the praises of bringing Lewis on board:

“Ray is passionate, incisive and has the ability to ignite thought-provoking discussions,” said Albohm. “We are fortunate to have Ray officially on our roster and look forward to him bringing the same passion and motivation he demonstrated on the field and in the locker room into our FS1 studio programs and digital platforms.”

In addition to being on TV, Lewis will make contributions to Fox’s digital platforms. Fox certainly hopes that he’ll bring the passion he had in his playing career to television.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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