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Boomer Esiason On Questioning Ray Lewis' Story: Somebody Had To Do It

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Boomer Esiason caused quite a stir with his comments about Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis during CBS' Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday.

Esiason said he was "not so sure" Lewis "gave us all the answers" regarding a double murder case the linebacker was wrapped up in 13 years ago. His comments were made after CBS aired a taped interview with Lewis and pregame co-host Shannon Sharpe.

Esiason wouldn't back down from the remarks Monday during his WFAN morning-drive radio show with Craig Carton.

He said that Sharpe, who was signed by Baltimore less than one month after the Lewis incident, has "greater insight into that issue than anybody I know." But Esiason had make his feelings known.

"Now, (Sharpe) will not share that insight with me because he doesn't feel like it's fair, and I understand that 100 percent. But I also told Shannon, I said, 'I can't sit here again and just allow this to go -- somebody has to be a voice of dissent and have the opposite viewpoint,' " Esiason said.

Boomer on Lewis comments

MORE SUPER COVERAGE: CBS Baltimore | CBS San Francisco

Lewis struck a deal and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 2000 after being charged with two counts of murder. When asked about the case by Sharpe, Lewis responded: "It's simple. God has never made a mistake. That's just who he is. You see? And if our system, this is 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."

Esiason, who retweeted some of the reaction to his stance on Sunday and again Monday, said it was "a meandering, kind of like maneuvering answer."

"There is a certain part of the population out there, and I think it's a relatively large swath, that don't buy it," Esiason said. "So I just can't sit there -- listen, Marino's not going to say anything, Bill Cowher's not going to say anything, and I get it. I'm there in the end. Somebody has to say something."

That said, the former NFL quarterback has nothing but respect for the domination shown on the field by Lewis, who will now retire as a two-time Super Bowl champion.

"We've had him on this show, I've talked to him a thousand times. I have great admiration and respect for him as a football player," Esiason said Monday. "I said yesterday that he's the greatest middle linebacker in my estimation in NFL history. But, but, but -- his legacy is going to be complicated by what happened in 2000."

Boomer says Sharpe wasn't caught unaware

Your thoughts on the Lewis interview and Boomer's reaction to it? Be heard in the comments!

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