Dancing With the Stars: Cheryl Burke and Ray Lewis Withdraw from Competition Due to Injury

The injuries are really starting to pile up on this season of Dancing With the Stars. First Christie Brinkley was forced to make an early exit due to an injury just as Season 28 premiered, and now Ray Lewis will be doing to same.

During Monday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars, NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis announced that he and his partner Cheryl Burke were officially withdrawing from the Season 28 competition due to a tendon injury Lewis sustained during rehearsals. The torn tendon was enough to take them out of the running for the rest of the season, landing them in eleventh place as they made their exit. In Lewis’ stead, NFL star and former mirrorball winner Rashad Jennings stepped in to perform the movie night routine Lewis was supposed to dance in with Burke.

As of this weekend, it seemed like the duo was still planning to compete if the posts on Lewis and Burke’s respective Instagrams was anything to go off of. In a behind-the-scenes photo from Burke, the pro was in full hair and makeup, and she wrote, “Hair courtesy of @kelseygusto, glam courtesy of @crabichuk, deep thought courtesy of the upcoming live show. #DWTS.” If the show was indeed planning to go on as of yesterday, that could mean that this was another last-minute injury sustained during rehearsals.

As for Lewis, his post on Friday was all about finding balance in your life. “Don’t get me wrong- I understand the grind- the effort and commitment it takes is unparalleled,” Lewis wrote. “But when you finally level up what else will be left? Did you cut off your friends and family or sacrifice your mental health? Make time for what matters. Take care of yourself. Mind, Body, and Spirit.”

ABC for comment declined to comment on this story.

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke, Dancing with the StarsPhoto: Eric McCandless, ABC