Mashup: Ray Lewis talks murder, faults 'system'

Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS: NHL: Stars at Avalanche, 9 p.m. (NBCSN) College hockey: Beanpot, Boston University vs. Northeastern, 5 p.m. (NESN) College hockey: Beanpot, Boston College vs. Harvard, 8 p.m. (NESN) NBA: Kings at Jazz, 9 p.m. (NBATV) College basketball: Notre Dame at Syracuse, 7 p.m. (ESPN) College basketball: Oklahoma at Iowa State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU) College basketball: George Mason at Old Dominion, 7 p.m. (NBCSN) College basketball: Seton Hall at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m. (ESPNU) College basketball: Texas at West Virginia, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Ray Lewis ended his career a champion Sunday night when his Ravens held off the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, but the tarnish on his legacy remains. During an interview with CBS’ Shannon Sharpe that aired during the pregame show, Lewis addressed the controversy surrounding his role in a double murder outside an Atlanta nightclub in 2000.

Lewis, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and testified against two companions who were eventually acquitted, claimed “the system” needed to better investigate the case.

“It’s simple,” Lewis said when asked what he would say to the victims’ families. “God has never made a mistake. That’s just who He is, you see. And if our system — it’s the sad thing about our system — if our system took the time to really investigate what happened 13 years ago, maybe they would have got to the bottom line truth. But the saddest thing ever was that a man looked me in my face and told me, ‘We know you didn’t do this, but you’re going down for it anyway.’ To the family, if you knew, if you really knew the way God works, he don’t use people who commits anything like that for His glory. No way. It’s the total opposite.”

After the interview, Sharpe told fellow hosts that the fact Lewis had come so far “is a testament to how this man has transformed his life,” and he got defensive when fellow host Boomer Esiason questioned Lewis’ “complex” issues.

“How is it complex?” Sharpe demanded to know from Esiason.

Responded Esiason: “He was involved in a double murder and I’m not so sure he gave us all the answers we were looking for,” Esiason said. “He knows what went on there. He can obviously just come out and say it. He doesn’t want to say it. He paid off the families — I get all that, that’s fine. But that doesn’t take away from who he is as a football player. I appreciate you going down there and asking him that direct question. I’m not so sure I buy the answer.”

♦ ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the Jets still are looking to trade Tim Tebow, but there isn’t any interest. New York is asking for a mid- to late-round draft pick, but apparently other teams have no confidence in Tebow’s ability to lead a team.

Said one NFL general manager: “I think his career is over without playing another position.”

♦ The family of Muhammad Ali denied a report that the boxing legend was near death and posted a photo of him sitting in a chair wearing a Ray Lewis T-shirt. Daughter May May Ali said her father was watching the Super Bowl at home in Arizona.

Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, turned 71 on Jan. 17. A British tabloid quoted his brother Rahman, who acknowledged having no contact with the family since last summer, as saying Ali was in bad health.

“He’s fine, in fact he was talking well this morning,” May May Ali said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “These rumors pop up every once in a while, but there’s nothing to them.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Feb. 4, 1990, which Bruin became the 32nd goaltender in NHL history with 200 victories following a 3-2 victory over the Quebec Nordiques?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “A lot of people say that we don’t have a chance to go to the playoffs, we can’t do this, we can’t do that. We know we have each other and we’re going to go out there and fight for each other, no matter what, every single night.” – Avery Bradley, after the Celtics improved to 4-0 since losing Rajon Rondo for the season with Sunday’s 106-104 victory over the Clippers

STAT OF THE DAY: 4, hours, 14 minutes – Time of Sunday’s Super Bowl — including a 34-minute delay for a power outage — making it the longest Super Bowl in history

‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Alec Baldwin delivers the funny stuff as host of Saturday’s NFL awards show.

Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio displays some nice trickery during Saturday’s rout of the Hornets.

Lakers guard Metta World Peace shows no love during a visit to Detroit, grabbing Pistons guard Brandon Knight around the neck and throwing a short jab to his chin, earning him a flagrant foul.

Eastern Kentucky’s Marcus Lewis delivers a thunderous dunk off an inbounds pass during Saturday’s game against Southeast Missouri.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Reggie Lemelin

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Florence LaRue of The 5th Dimension was born on this day in 1944. (She’s on the left in this video).