Ahmad Brooks and San Francisco 49ers fans aren’t alone in thinking Brooks’ fourth-quarter hit on Drew Brees didn’t deserve a penalty flag. Ray Lewis is angry too and wants to do something about it.

The 49ers linebacker was flagged for a 15-yard roughing the passer foul on Sunday after a vicious hit on the Saints quarterback. The resulting first down helped New Orleans get the crucial NFC victory. After the game, Brooks suggested the penalty was a joke and complained that football is watered down.

During a panel discussion with Stuart Scott, Steve Young and Trent Dilfer, new ESPN analyst Ray Lewi backed Brooks. He laid into the NFL, criticized Drew Brees and offered to pay half of whatever fine Brooks will be levied by the league. He even pulled out his American Express card.

The lengthy comments are below. (Emphasis is ours, with the caveat that every word Ray Lewis spoke could have been written in all caps.)

“This is the most embarrassing call in the National Football League since the tuck rule and Tom Brady. I’m serious. I’ve just never seen this type of insult to defenders. When you do your job, when you make the perfect play — if he takes the same hit — if he takes the same hit –and hits a quarterback like Peyton Manning who’s six-four, six-five, he hits him in his chest area. Drew Brees is six-foot or shorter. When you look at the hit, Ahmad Brooks took the hit and hit him exactly where he was supposed to hit him. Drew Brees’ neck slid DOWN to that man arm. You cannot — you cannot — first of all, for that to be a flag is embarrassing. Let me tell you the second embarrassing thing. The second part that’s embarrassing about this is for Drew Brees to say, ‘I got hit so hard I knew it had to be a flag.’ THIS IS THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS. When you get hit like that from the blind side, it’s supposed to hurt! “But I’ll tell you this, if they fine this kid, if they go on record and they fine this kid, Ahmad Brooks, I’ll gonna do something personally. I’m gonna pay half. Half. If they fine this kid, Trent, I’m gonna pay half of this kid’s fine, because of one reason — because of one reason — defenders have to be respected as men before anything else. And that man laid a clean hit and that cost the San Francisco 49ers a complete football game yesterday and could have cost them in the playoffs.”

Lewis is right, but he’s shouting into the wind. The NFL is in the protection game now and anytime a defender makes a marquee quarterback’s head look like a turtle peeking out of a shell, a flag is soon to follow.

But the Ray Lewis offer got us thinking. In theory, would an analyst paying a fine be something ESPN would allow? Evidently. “How Ray chooses to spend his own money is his decision,” an ESPN spokesman said.

Hope you’ve got No. 52 on speed dial, Ahmad.

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