Former NFL star Ray Lewis' chance to win Dancing With The Stars Season 28 has ended after he was forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury. Lewis has confirmed that an old foot injury is a reason why he needs to turn his back on the competition.
In the recent episode of DWTS Season 28, the 44-year-old NFL superstar announced that he would no longer compete on the reality dance show. This means his partner, pro dancer Cheryl Burke, is also out of the competition.
The clip that was released on Monday's episode showed Lewis practicing a cha-cha dance performance as a tribute to the 80s teen comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. However, his old foot injury flared up during rehearsals.
Lewis admitted that he has been in pain every time he practices for their dance performance. He also revealed that he tore a tendon in his foot in 2010 and it flared up when he started dancing for DWTS.
Lewis' was also shown in the clip telling him that he has three torn tendons that require surgery. The physician added that, if Lewis keeps on dancing, his damaged tendons will eventually rupture. The former Baltimore Ravens linebacker said his decision to quit DWTS is based on his doctor's advise.
Reflecting on his short time on the show, Lewis said that he had some of the best experiences of his life in the show. He said it had been his dream to dance on the DWTS stage.
Prior to Monday's announcement, the NFL Hall of Famer hinted about his stint in Dancing With The Stars Season 28 in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend. In his post, Lewis mentioned "finding the balance between work, family and rest."
Meanwhile, since Lewis couldn't compete because of his foot injury, NFL star Rashad Jennings stepped in to dance the cha-cha with Burke. Jennings is also the DWTS Season 24 Mirrorball Trophy champion.
Lewis is the second contestant to bow out of Dancing With The Stars Season 28. Prior to the season premiere, supermodel Christie Brinkley announced that she had dropped out of the competition after she fractured her wrist and arm during a dance rehearsal. Brinkley's daughter, Sailor, replaced her and is currently competing with Val Chmerkovskiy.
Dancing With The Stars Season 28 airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
