A Super Bowl ring that Baltimore Ravens owner Stephen Bisciotti gave to former running back Jamal Lewis was sold in an auction for $50,820 on Sunday morning.
The ring was from the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII victory, which Lewis wasn't a part of. But Bisciotti gave rings to former Ravens greats including Lewis, who was inducted into the team's ring of honor in 2012.
The Ravens on Monday said that they respect Lewis' decision because he has been dealing with financial problems. In 2012, three years after he retired, Lewis filed for bankruptcy.
"Jamal Lewis informed us that he was forced to sell the Super Bowl XLVII ring due to financial difficulties. We understand and respect his decision," the team said.
The ring, which is made out of 10K white gold and has 3.75 carats worth of diamonds, was consigned to the auction by a pawn shop that Lewis sold the ring to.
"Jamal is one of the all-time Ravens greats," said Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions, which sold the ring to a collector in Maryland. "This ring was hotly contested, and we saw a lot of interest from Ravens fans."
Lewis was drafted in 2000 and led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in his rookie year. He played with the Ravens until 2006 before finishing his career with the Cleveland Browns.
Another noteworthy ring that sold in the auction was the 2008 AFC title ring given by the New England Patriots to Matt Estrella, the team videographer who filmed the New York Jets defensive coaches in a scandal dubbed "Spygate." The 10K gold ring, which has 55 diamonds on it, sold for $16,940.
Other items that sold in the auction included a ball signed by the 1919 "Black Sox" ($81,070), a 1942 game-used Joe DiMaggio jersey ($169,400) and a Michael Jordan game-used jersey and shorts from the 1990-91 season ($29,040).
