Ray Lewis: NFL Lockout Will Lead to Rise in Crime

The FBI just released it's violent crimes stats and in the United States the number of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults dropped 5.5 percent in 2010 compared to 2009.

However, if Ray Lewis' theory is correct, those numbers will be on the rise soon and he's blaming the NFL lockout. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker believes crime will rise if the lockout continues into the season.

"Do this research if we don't have a season -- watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game," Lewis said in an interview with with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.

Lewis' explaination as to why he thinks crime rates will increase without football, "There's nothing else to do," he said.

Lewis isn't just talking about professional football players getting arrested, he predicts fans will become more violent because the violence they're used to seeing every Sunday will be eliminated.

"There's too many people that live through us, people live through us," Lewis said. "Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I'm not talking about the people you see all the time."

While Lewis' theory is interesting, he doesn't have the stats to back it up. However, the opposite perspective -- that football leads to more violence -- does have some legs. In 2009, a study revealed that from 1995-2006 when an NFL game ended in an upset, the home state of the losing team saw a brief uptick in domestic violence.

The NFL lockout is now in its 69th day, and a resolution appears nowhere in sight.

Minnesota Vikings Stadium Debate Likely Headed For Special Session

When the Minnesota Legislature ends its 2011 session on Monday, the Minnesota Vikings will almost certainly not have a new stadium deal in place. However, the Associated Press is reporting a Vikings stadium bill is likely destined for a special session.

The Vikings stadium issue has been put on the back burner due to the state's massive budget deficit. Right now, there's about a $1.8 billion gap in how to resolve that deficit.

Governor Mark Dayton can call a special session and force legislators to stay as long as it takes to get the work done.

The Vikings have offered to contribute $407 million to a $1 billion stadium project in Arden Hills. The team is hoping the state will pick-up $300 million of the project's cost.  

The Minnesota Legislature has until midnight Monday to work out a budget and stadium deal. A special session will be called if they fail to meet that deadline.

The Minnesota Vikings Metrodome lease is set to run out at the end of the 2011 season.