Ray Lewis helps Miami Hurricanes athletics with Covid-19 donations

Ray Lewis stopped by the Miami Hurricanes athletic department on Monday to drop off sanitary supplies for Covid-19.

Ray Lewis visited the Miami Hurricanes athletic department on Monday to donate donated 386 gallons of hand sanitizer, 1,200 masks and 100 face shields according to David Wilson of the Miami Herald. Lewis is aware of the challenges that the University of Miami athletic department and its athletes face.

Lewis is more than just a prominent Miami Hurricanes former athlete. His son Rashaan is a wide receiver for Florida Atlantic. Lewis discussed what he said to Rashaan about being careful and how to best put himself in a position to stay healthy. Young people and particularly athletes often feel invincible in regards to their health.

Lewis and Rashaan are working out a plan when it is best for him to return to FAU’s Boca Raton campus. It is likely difficult for Ray Lewis to draw on any collegiate experiences he had. There has been nothing to compare the current pandemic to anything that has happened in the last 100 years.

The donations Lewis made will help ease the costs of having to update what needs to be accomplished to sanitize the Miami athletic department facilities. The loss of revenue from sports and upgrades that needs to be conducted for each athletic facility is cost-prohibitive. Lewis spoke about systems being put in place.

"“We don’t have the system yet, right? I think it’s everyday testing. I think we’re going to have to get very comfortable with that, always having a COVID-free environment. How do you dictate that?Everybody must be tested randomly and so when me and him(his son, FAU WR Rashaun) was talking about it, I was like, ‘Baby … you can’t beat that. You can’t defeat crowds.’ If one person has it, it spreads in five minutes, so I think it’s better to be safer.I think it’s better to understand the routes that we have to take to tackle these things and everybody just has to stay in their own lanes, so I told my son, I was like, ‘I think you should just stay out for a little bit.’”"

The donations from Lewis are important during a time that donations to the Miami Hurricanes athletic department have slowed, hand sanitizing stations have been placed throughout athletic facilities and athletic staff is required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.

Also being monitored in the Miami athletic department is the potential for staff or athletes to test positive for Covid-19. Miami athletic director Blake James who also met with media on Monday stated “We don’t discuss individuals with tests.”  With 11 weeks remaining before the season starts the system is in evolving.