Trump met with West, former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis and NFL icon and civil rights leader Jim Brown at Trump Tower in New York City.

West did not comment but posed for pictures with Trump. He later tweeted that he met with Trump ”to discuss multicultural issues” including bullying, education and violence in Chicago.

Brown and Lewis said they talked with Trump about the new administration partnering with Brown’s ”Amer-I-Can” outreach program.

West later tweeted ”(hashtag)2024” – perhaps suggesting a presidential run after a two-term Trump presidency. He has previously said he will run for president in 2020.

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Boldin said on Saturday that Baltimore might have to do a restructuring of some sort, but to this point and his knowledge, the Ravens have not.

As for his future, Boldin told Schefter that he would speak with his family before he makes any decisions, but as far as he is concerned and knows, he is planning to play for Baltimore next season under the terms of his current contract.

Boldin is scheduled to earn $6 million in the coming season. He carries a $7.531 million salary-cap figure.

Fox Sports initially reported Saturday that Baltimore gave Boldin an ultimatum: Take a pay cut or get cut on Tuesday. USA Today Sports later reported that Boldin had rejected Baltimore’s offer but that the sides were still discussing the matter, and that Boldin is prepared to test free agency if Baltimore releases him.

ESPN and other media outlets have reported that the Ravens do want to reduce Boldin’s salary as they try to free cap space to retain free-agent linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

The Ravens were expected to keep Boldin after the team didn’t have to use the franchise tag on quarterback Joe Flacco, who signed a six-year, $120.6 million deal.

In the playoffs, Boldin caught 22 passes for 380 yards receiving (95 yards per game) and four touchdowns. He has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past three seasons since being traded from Arizona.

Boldin, 32, said last month that he would retire if he was cut by the Ravens. Since the Ravens won the Super Bowl, linebacker Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk have retired and Baltimore has released guard Bobbie Williams.

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The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is not under contract for next season. Newsome said the sides were “very close” to a deal before the season began, but it was a mutual agreement to stop negotiations until the end of the season.

“I’m coming away today thinking that we can get a deal done,” Newsome said at the “State of the Ravens” season-ending news conference. “We’ve got deals done with Haloti [Ngata], JO [Jonathan Ogden], Ray [Lewis], Ray Rice, Ed Reed, [Terrell] Suggs. I’ve got a very good owner who understands the business and understands the importance of certain positions. So, I’m optimistic.”

If the Ravens can’t get a deal completed before the start of free agency, the team will put the franchise tag on Flacco. The exclusive tag, which would take Flacco off the free-agent market, would take $20 million of cap space this season.

“We’re looking to get a fair deal done with Joe,” Newsome said. “If we’re able to get a deal done, it will allow us to be able to participate more in the market if we so choose. But we understand what the priority is.”
Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, was asked in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday whether Flacco should be the highest-paid at his position, to which he simply responded, “Yes.”

Flacco, 28, is younger than Peyton Manning (who’s earning $18 million per year) and Drew Brees ($20 million), and now has as many Super Bowl titles as each of them. Linta said those are the numbers that matter.

“When you do a contract of this magnitude, you look at what is the player’s body of work presently,” Linta told CNBC. “And what are the expectations going forward over the next four, five or six years.

“Joe wins on both accounts.”

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“I’m never angry. I’m too blessed to be stressed,” the Baltimore Ravens linebacker said when told that he seemed angry. “You can use a different word. You can use the word agitated because I’m here to win the Super Bowl. I’m not here to entertain somebody that doesn’t affect that one way or another. The word agitated is probably better.”

On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated reported that Lewis sought help from Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS) — a company that makes the unorthodox deer-antler spray, which is supposed to be sprayed under the tongue — to speed his recovery from a torn right triceps. Lewis missed 10 games with the injury.

“Our world is a very secret society. We try to protect our world as much as we can,” Lewis said. “When you let cowards come in and do things like that, to try to disturb something. I’ve said it before and I’ve said a million times, the reason why I’m smiling is because it’s so funny of a story.

“I’ve never, ever took what he says I was supposed to do. It’s just sad that someone can have this much attention on a stage this big where the dreams are really real. I don’t need it, my teammates don’t need it, the 49ers don’t need it. Nobody needs it because it just really shows you that people really plan things and try to attack people from the outside. It’s just very foolish. The guy has no credibility. He’s been sued four or five times over this same BS. I just truly believe he doesn’t have the privilege for me to speak about it ever again.”

Ravens team president Dick Cass told ESPN that the Ravens’ top brass met with Lewis on Tuesday night and urged him to issue a strong denial on Wednesday, to repeat what he told the organization on Tuesday: that he never used any of the substances he was accused of using in the SI report.

“We wanted him to issue a strong denial at media day; he didn’t do that. He was very strong with us yesterday, and last night. We met with him last night and talked about issuing a strong denial today,” Cass told ESPN.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday morning that he spoke with Lewis, and the linebacker “knows there is nothing to it. He understands it’s something he’s never been involved in.”

“He laughed about it,” Harbaugh said, referring to Lewis. “He told me there’s nothing to it. He’s told us in the past and now that he has never taken any of it.”

Lewis said the Ravens aren’t distracted due to the report.

“I’ve been in this game for 17-plus good years, and I have a heck of relationship and too much respect for the business and my body to ever violate like that. For me and my teammates, I promise you that we have a strong group of men that don’t bend too much and we keep pushing forward. So it’s not a distraction for us,” he said.

The NFL Players Association said the league does test for IGF-1, the banned substance found in deer-antler extract, but the NFL said it is not detectable with the league’s current testing methods.

SWATS co-owner Mitch Ross detailed his interaction with Lewis in an interview Tuesday with ESPN Radio’s “SVP and Russillo Show,” saying he texted Lewis shortly after the linebacker was injured against the Cowboys on Oct. 14.

He told ESPN Radio that Lewis “used every product that I had.”

“I even developed an armband that I developed to strengthen his triceps, and some liquid wraps that would help him heal as well,” he said.

When asked why Lewis is denying using his products, Ross told ESPN Radio: “I guess [Lewis] is scared of Roger Goodell.”

However, a professor at Johns Hopkins University told the Baltimore Sun that, despite SWATS’ claims, there isn’t an acceptable scientific way that IGF-1 can be delivered orally.

“If there were, a lot of people would be happy that they don’t need to get shots anymore,” Dr. Roberto Salvatori told the newspaper. “It’s just simply not possible for it to come from a spray.”

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Next stop, New Orleans.

After one final practice at their own training facility, the Super Bowl-bound Ravens will take Sunday off before heading for the Big Easy on Monday afternoon in anticipation of their matchup on Feb. 3 against the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’re right where we want to be,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “Now we have an opportunity to play in the big one. But at the end of the day, we’re still getting ready for a football game.”

Coach John Harbaugh conducted practice from Thursday through Saturday as if it was a normal work week. They went hard on Thursday and Friday and eased up Saturday.

“We’ve had a great week. We had an excellent practice,” Harbaugh said after the closed two-hour session. “The guys are very sharp and they’re excited. We’ll have to go down there and do just as well (or) do better.”

The next time the Ravens hit the practice field, it will be in New Orleans. This week, at least, there were no distractions.

“I think it’s always important to have a good practice no matter what,” Harbaugh said. “You’ve got to practice well to play well. You pretty much play the way you practice. That’s something that we learned when we were kids and that’s not going to change.”

It was final practice at the team’s training complex for Ray Lewis, who intends to retire after the Super Bowl. Center Matt Birk has made no such announcement, but there is a possibility the 36-year-old is also preparing for his last game.

“I don’t think like that,” Birk said. “I just try to live in the moment. That’s just kind of my mindset. I don’t think about the future or if this could be it. It drives my wife nuts, but that’s just not how I operate.”

Now in his 15th NFL season — the fourth with Baltimore — Birk’s knees are scarred from several operations and he had surgery during the offseason to repair varicose veins in his legs. But he played in all 16 games during the regular season and remained solid in the middle of the offensive line during the postseason.

“I’m not sure about Matt’s plans,” Harbaugh said. “If he decides to come back next year that would be awesome. He’s smart, he’s tough. To my eye, he’s playing the best football that he’s played since he’s been here, right now. To have that be true at the end of a (long) season is very impressive. We would not be where we are without Matt Birk.”

Looking ahead to the challenge next Sunday, Harbaugh called the 49ers “a very well-coached football team.” He said it with a grin, because San Francisco is coached by his little brother, Jim.

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Welker’s wife, Anna Burns Welker, took to social media site Facebook to take a few shots at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on Sunday night after the Patriots’ 28-13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

“Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis’ Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!” Burns Welker said in a since-deleted post on her personal Facebook page.

Burns Welker released a statement to sports blog Larry Brown Sports apologizing for her remarks:

“I’m deeply sorry for my recent post on Facebook. I let the competitiveness of the game and the comments people were making about a team I dearly love get the best of me. My actions were emotional and irrational and I sincerely apologize to Ray Lewis and anyone affected by my comment after yesterday’s game.

“It is such an accomplishment for any team to make it to the NFL playoffs, and the momentary frustration I felt should not overshadow the accomplishments of both of these amazing teams.”

Wes Welker led the Patriots in receiving Sunday with 117 yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the loss, but could have played his last game for New England as he is set to become a free agent this offseason.

Lewis, who announced weeks ago that he would retire at the conclusion of Baltimore’s season, led all players with 14 tackles.

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“(We) shut them out in the second half! Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl!” he shouted as he exchanged congratulatory hugs and high-fives with teammates as they walked into the locker room. Seven Patriots were selected to play in the Pro Bowl, which is slated to be played Sunday. Players on teams that reach the Super Bowl do not play in the Pro Bowl the weekend before.

A few minutes later, an excited Suggs explained how his Ravens had an edge even though they were nearly nine-point underdogs playing on the road against a Patriots team most predicted would win.

“Y’all gotta understand, we had an advantage on any team that’s ever walked into Foxborough, because we’ve been here before and we’ve also won here before in a playoff game,” said Suggs, who was on the 2009 Ravens team that upset the Patriots in Foxborough in the playoffs and on the team that nearly knocked off New England in last season’s AFC title game.

Patriots receiver Deion Branch was more subtle with his jabs when informed of Suggs’ comments after the game.

“I don’t know. I think,” said Branch, before a long pause, “they won the game. I’ll leave it at that. Champions carry themselves a little different. If you talk to Ray (Lewis) it might be a little different. If you talk to some other guys, they are champions. That’s not how a true champion talks, regardless of whether you win or lose. It just doesn’t work that way. But congratulations to the Ravens.”

The bad blood between Suggs and Tom Brady, in particular, dates back a number of years. In 2010, a season in which Brady was named NFL MVP, Suggs said he voted for Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick over Brady for the Pro Bowl. He also called Brady’s three Super Bowl titles “questionable” because of the “tuck rule” game in 2001 and the Spygate scandal that surfaced in 2007.

After Sunday’s game, he was more complimentary of the Patriots’ quarterback.

“You can’t take anything away from 12 (Brady),” Suggs told ESPNBoston.com. “You gotta play perfect to beat him, and we played perfect. I mean, a second-half shutout is pretty good.”

Suggs, however, saved his biggest pat on the back for his own signal-caller, Joe Flacco, who threw for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions Sunday.

“I can’t wait to hear what Skip Bayless (of ESPN’s “First Take”) says tomorrow because Joe once again, two years in a row, outplayed the great No. 12, and he showed just how ‘Joe Cool’ he is,” Suggs said. “But he still has one more to get. We’re not satisfied by any means. We’re going to celebrate tonight, and tomorrow it’s back to work.”

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A humbled Peyton Manning, with reporters hammering away on deadline and videocameras shut off after the last postgame question had been answered, took his family into the Ravens’ locker room on Saturday night to visit a fellow future Hall of Famer.

Manning eventually found Ray Lewis, according to Ravens media director Chad Steele in a caption accompanying a photograph he posted to Twitter.

“Great moment @ 1.5 hours after the game, Peyton Manning and his family waited to congratulate @raylewis52,” Steele’s tweet said.

Lewis, who will retire after the playoffs to cap a 17-year career, will play on after the Ravens stunned the host Broncos 38-35 in two overtimes, a loss that goes down with the most devastating in Denver history.

“Certainly we did a lot of good things this season, but as of right now, it’s hard to think about anything besides the loss tonight,” Manning said afterward.

Manning did enough in regulation to help his team win, despite the first two turnovers. But he also was not perfect. He wasn’t at his best, whether it was due to the weather or the pressure of leading his new franchise to a playoff win.

“I probably wasn’t quite as good as I wanted to be,” Manning said, “and it probably cost us a couple scoring opportunities.”

On Denver’s second possession of overtime, he stopped and threw across his body to the middle of the field and into the arms of Ravens cornerback Corey Graham at Denver’s 45. Baltimore ran five plays and gained 16 yards before Justin Tucker sailed his winning kick down the middle.

“Yeah, bad throw,” Manning said. “Probably the decision wasn’t great, either. I thought I had an opening, and I didn’t get enough on it, and I was trying to make a play and certainly a throw I’d like to have back.”

Lewis, who led the Ravens with 17 tackles over this nearly 77-minute game in 13-degree weather, kneeled down to the ground and put his helmet on the rock-solid turf when it was over.

“I’ve never been a part of a game so crazy in my life,” Lewis said.

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“He’s ready to go,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to play in this game and he should be full speed.”

It’s uncertain how much Lewis — who has missed the last 10 games since suffering the injury on Oct. 14 — will play.

It’s possible that Sunday could be the final game of Lewis’ storied career. The two-time defensive player of the year and former Super Bowl MVP announced Wednesday that he is retiring after this season.

Sunday will also likely be Lewis’ final game in Baltimore even if the Ravens win because of their No. 4 seed entering the playoffs. He is also close to signing a multiyear contract with ESPN to join the network as an NFL analyst, according to an SI.com report.

Lewis, 37, returned to practice on Dec. 5. For him to be eligible for the playoffs, the Ravens added him to the active roster later in the month.

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Lewis said, “It is time for me to create a new legacy” after 17 NFL seasons.

He intends to play for the first time since tearing his triceps two months ago when the Ravens host the Colts in Sunday’s wild-card game, saying: “There is no reason for me to not play,” according to The Baltimore Sun.

Sunday likely will be Lewis’ final game in Baltimore even if the Ravens win because of their No. 4 seed entering the playoffs.

“I talked to my team today,” Lewis said Wednesday. “I talked to them about life in general. And everything that starts has an end. For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride.”

He returned to practice on Dec. 5, and for him to be eligible for the playoffs, the Ravens added him to the active roster later in the month.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano, Lewis’ defensive coordinator last year, said, “I thought, shoot, the guy could play forever and would play forever. Great person, great man, great player, just an unbelievable human being — what he’s done for that organization, that city and for that matter, so many people. He’s obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will be sorely missed.”

Lewis has gone to 12 Pro Bowls, been named first-team All-Pro seven times and been voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice. He led the Ravens in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons, the exceptions being those years in which he missed significant time with injuries (2002, 2005, 2012).

According to Stats & Information, only four players in NFL history have been to more Pro Bowls than Lewis (Bruce Matthews, 14; Jerry Rice, 13; Reggie White, 13; Tony Gonzalez, 13).

“I never played the game for individual stats. I only played the game to make my team a better team,” he said.

Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is almost always upbeat, said of the announcement: “It was sad. It affected me, because for the past 10 years of my career, I’ve been sitting right next to the man and going to war on Sundays. It’s going to one hard last ride, and we need to make it one to remember.”

Lewis led the Ravens to the 2000 Super Bowl title when he was the key figure on a defense that set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.

Lewis had hinted at retirement previously. He said last summer that he couldn’t see himself playing past age 37. Lewis turned 37 in May.

Lewis wants to spend more time with his two sons. While working to return from his injury, Lewis watched them play on the same high school football team, and he intends to watch Ray Lewis III perform as a freshman next year for his alma mater, the University of Miami.

“God is calling,” Lewis said. “My children have made the ultimate sacrifice for their father for 17 years. I don’t want to see them do that no more. I’ve done what I wanted to do in this business, and now it’s my turn to give them something back.”

Which means he’ll pull off his No. 52 uniform for the last time after the Ravens are eliminated or win the Super Bowl.

“It’s either hold on to the game and keep playing and let my kids miss out on times we can be spending together,” Lewis said. “Because I always promised my son if he got a full ride on scholarship, Daddy is going to be there. I can’t miss that.”

Lewis could have made the announcement during the offseason, but thought it best to do it now.

“I think my fans, my city, I think they deserved for me to just not walk away,” he said. “We all get to enjoy what Sunday will feel like, knowing that this will be the last time 52 plays in a uniform in Ravens stadium.”

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