The Baltimore Ravens said Monday that they understood the decision of Jamal Lewis to sell an honorary Super Bowl ring they gave the former running back.

Lewis, one of seven players in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards, sold the Super Bowl ring at auction for $50,820 on Sunday.

Lewis, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens during the 2000 season, had been one of several Ravens legends to receive rings after Baltimore beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Lewis, who signed contracts worth more than $30 million during his nine-year NFL career with Baltimore and the Cleveland Browns, declared for bankruptcy in 2012. He listed $14.5 million in assets and $10.6 million in debts, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The 35-year-old owed debts to several companies for not repaying loans associated with failed real estate projects and a trucking business, the Sun reported.

In a statement Monday, the team said, “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.”

Lewis helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl as a rookie in 2000 and he rushed for 2,066 yards in 2003 — a number that stands as No. 3 in NFL history behind Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984 and Adrian Peterson’s 2,097 in 2012.

Lewis also served four months in prison in a drug-dealing case in 2005, returning to the Ravens in time for the season.