‘Dancing With the Stars’: Rashad Jennings Returns to Perform in Ray Lewis’ Place After Injury

Ray Lewis’s presence on Dancing with the Stars was missing when the show’s cast first gathered. Host Tom Bergeron promptly teased that the former NFL star would be withdrawing from the competition after a foot injury sidelined him.

With a show still to go on, Lewis’ partner, Cheryl Burke, wasn’t left without one final dance. She was accompanied by a former Mirrorball champion and former football player, Rashad Jennings.

Jennings won in Season 24 along with his partner, Emma Slater. He has made frequent appearances in recent seasons, including Season 27 when he worked as a trio partner with former NFL player, DeMarcus Ware, and his partner Lindsay Arnold.

He was a fan-favorite on his season and has continued to be welcomed back by the fans. His arrival on Monday’s episode went over well with the fan base.

One user even jokingly said, “I love it how Dancing with the Stars has Jennings on speed dial.”

Lewis’ departure came as a tough pill to swallow for his partner. Burke shared an emotional series of tweets expressing her thoughts on working with the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker.

“Dancing with Ray has meant so much to me. His positivity and dedication are admirable, and his smile is contagious. The hard work he put into every practice and performance is something only a true athlete could do. Being an athlete means pushing yourself past your limits but also knowing when to care of your body,” Burke’s tweet read. “Unfortunately, due to injuries he sustained to his foot, our journey to the mirror ball ends tonight. Ray, I wish you a safe and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you do the squirrel dance again very soon.”

On the episode, Lewis shared that he had three tears in his toes and apparently re-aggravated a previous injury he suffered during his playing days.