Lewis is best known for his career as a Raven, where he contributed to the team winning Super Bowl XXXV as a rookie.

Lewis is also known for his outstanding 2003 season, where he rushed for 2,066 yards (third-most all-time, behind Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peterson) and was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Lewis attended Douglass High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a letterman in football and track.

[1][2] Lewis was rated as the top running back prospect in the nation by Super Prep.

Lewis rushed for 25 touchdowns as a senior and earned AAAA All-State and All-City honors.

He was named MVP of the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game, with 137 yards on 11 carries, for a 12.4 average, and two touchdowns.

[citation needed] While at Douglass, Lewis converted from a fullback to the starting running back.

[4] For his efforts, he was named first-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News and second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press.

[5] In 1998, Lewis suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and missed the rest of the season.

[7][8] In his three-year career at the University of Tennessee, Lewis rushed for 2,677 yards and accounted for 3,161 all-purpose.

[9] Regarded as the best available tailback alongside Thomas Jones, Lewis was selected in the first round with the fifth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

[16] On November 19, in Week 12, against the Dallas Cowboys, Lewis became the youngest player since 1960 to record 200 yards from scrimmage (21 years, 82 days); since broken by Kenny Britt in 2009, and JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2017.

[18] In his rookie season, he rushed for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns, supplanting Priest Holmes as the team's starting running back.

[24][25] Lewis missed the 2001 NFL season due to an ACL tear and MCL sprain that he sustained in training camp.

[39] Lewis was rewarded for his 2003 season performance by being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

[40] Lewis's single-game rushing record was later broken by Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings on November 4, 2007, when he ran for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers.

Lewis had also voiced displeasure during the 2005 season over the team's failure to sign him to a long-term deal.

However, general manager Ozzie Newsome pointed out that they hoped to re-sign him,[57] but that changed on March 7, 2007, when Lewis signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns.

[64] On November 8, 2008, The Plain Dealer reported that Lewis was dissatisfied with the performance of his teammates in the Browns' recent loss to the Denver Broncos.

[66] In Week 5 of the 2009 season, Lewis had 31 carries for 117 rushing yards in the 6–3 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Lewis was charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine and using a cell phone in the commission of the first count.

[75][76] A Bleacher Report profile detailed Lewis' post-NFL life, noting that he suffers from the post-traumatic effects of concussions.

[80] On February 8, 2015, a championship ring from Super Bowl XLVII that Lewis had owned was sold at auction for more than $50,000.