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Earlier this week, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis ruffled some feathers when he said that the only reason anyone knows who Tom Brady is because of the tuck rule.

It was a pretty mighty stretch for Lewis to suggest that Brady’s long, successful career was all due to one play in the 2002 playoffs, something Brady opted not to point out when asked about the comments on Thursday. Plenty of other people did, though, and now Lewis has taken to Twitter to do a little clarifying about his intent.

“To clarify my comments from this week: I was trying to express my frustration about the Tuck Rule itself,” Lewis wrote. “Rules like that should not be part of the game. They lead to controversial plays that impact the outcome of the games and thats what everyone remembers, especially when you are talking about playoff games. I have immense respect for Tom Brady and everything he has achieved in this league. He will go down as one of the all-time greats.”

Most people agreed with Lewis about the tuck rule, which ultimately and happily led to it being removed from the game. Last weekend’s Dez Bryant no-catch will likely lead to a review of the rules governing the “process” of a catch and perhaps a change that will make for a better fit with the spirit of the game.