Savannah State linebacker cherishes advice from Pro Bowler Lewis

Posted 7:55PM on Thursday 6th October 2005 ( 19 years ago )

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) Barbecuing with Ray Lewis. Sounds like a reality television show. Instead, it was reality for Savannah State football player Trent Newton last year. Newton was at his home in Lakeland, Fla., when one of his former Kathleen High School coaches called with urgent news. ``Ray was visiting his grandmother, who lives about 10 minutes from my family,'' Newton said. ``One of my assistant coaches is friends with Ray. He called Ray and he told him to bring over some players. My coach called me and I went.'' When you're a high school football player, you don't turn down free food especially when the chef is Ray Lewis, a former star linebacker at Kathleen who played for the Miami Hurricanes and eventually the Baltimore Ravens. Newton said he was in awe of Lewis, who was 2001 Super Bowl MVP a year after being charged with two counts of murder of two men and four other felony counts. The charges were dropped against Lewis, who struck a plea bargain in exchange for testimony in the case and was sentenced to a year of probation. Newton said Lewis did not talk about his high-profile ordeal. ``He didn't even talk about the season with the Ravens,'' Newton said. ``He was just chillin'. He just wanted to get away from football and relax.'' What Lewis did was give Newton advice something the Savannah State freshman cherishes. ``We sat outside and talked for at least two hours,'' Newton said. ``He had the barbecue going and he was just hanging out. He gave me some pointers and told me to stay out of trouble. The best advice he gave me is to work hard every day, to be better than what I was the day before.'' The 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker, took Lewis' advice to heart. Despite being a freshman, Newton leads the Tigers (0-5) with 46 tackles. ``The kid has a motor. He plays very hard,'' defensive coordinator C. Tony High said. ``He's very disciplined and does what he's supposed to do. The thing I like most about him is he doesn't make the same mistake twice. The most important thing is he's excited and happy about the opportunity to play college football.'' Newton was recruited by Troy State (now Troy), East Carolina, Georgia Southern and of course Savannah State. ``I was second on Troy State's (recruiting) board and the guy in front of me passed the (ACT) test, so they dropped me right there,'' Newton said. ``The ECU coaching staff got fired, so I couldn't go there. And GSU, they backed off but when I signed with Savannah State the (GSU) coaches came back and asked about me but it was too late. I had already made up my mind and signed here.'' Newton's mother, Ruby Newton, gave a football-highlight DVD featuring him to Savannah State athletic director Tony O'Neal, who attended a Kathleen basketball game in which Newton played last year. ``He watched it and gave it to the (SSU football) coaches and they started recruiting me,'' Newton said. Newton is flirting with the idea of playing basketball for the Tigers. ``I'll make that decision after the (football) season,'' Newton said. ``It depends on how my body is feeling. When I play basketball, my body gets leaner and as a linebacker I need to get bigger, not leaner.'' Information from: Savannah Morning News, http://www.savannahnow.com/ Information from: Savannah Morning News, http://www.savannahnow.com/ (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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