As of Monday night, surprising news arrived that former NFL star Ray Lewis and his professional dance partner Cheryl Burke are done with Dancing With the Stars.
Reportedly, Ray Lewis’ injury he suffered over the weekend is the culprit. It forces the former Super Bowl MVP and Burke to withdraw, as the DWTS Season 28 competition goes forward.
What is Ray Lewis’ injury?
A report via the website The Blast gave details about Ray Lewis’ toe injury which will force him out of the dancing competition. Reportedly, Lewis suffered the injury during rehearsals over the weekend and tore several ligaments in his toe.
Therefore he and Cheryl Burke announced they were officially pulling out of the DWTS Season 28 competition. Sources say that Lewis indicated he “didn’t want to go out this way.”
Lewis survived an early scare in the season when he and Burke landed in the bottom two for the first week. However, it was singer Mary Wilson of the Supremes eliminated, not Lewis.
It’s also the second celebrity to have to withdraw from the show due to injury. Christie Brinkley was set to appear on DWTS 28 but ended up having to drop out due to suffering a broken arm during her rehearsals.
Lewis was favorite to win, Burke posts about partner
When the cast was initially announced for Dancing With the Stars Season 28, Ray Lewis was listed as the overall favorite to win by MyBookie. Lewis held +400 odds, giving him a slight edge over actor James Van der Beek (+450) and Karamo Brown (+550).
Interestingly, a report from SportsBettingDime in late August also showed a prop bet for who would be eliminated from DWTS first between Ray Lewis and Lamar Odom.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star was given the better chance of being sent home, but now it’s the former Baltimore Ravens star who had to leave.
As a tribute to her latest dance partner, professional dancer Cheryl Burke posted the following message about Lewis on her Instagram account.
Cheryl Burke is a two-time champion on the show and previously won with another retired NFL star and Super Bowl Champion. She was Emmit Smith’s partner when he won the Mirrorball trophy on Season 3. Burke also danced with the Season 2 winner Drew Lachey.
Ray Lewis commented on Burke’s post, “Sad to see it end this way but THANK YOU for all the work you put in ??.”
Viewers can watch episodes of Dancing With the Stars on ABC Mondays at 8/7c.