Lewis (and the press) have never shied from this incident. It was huge news for a long time and he's still asked about it. But the fact is, the district attorney dropped the charges against him in exchange for his testimony against the two other guys. The DA did not have any evidence that Lewis was involved and the two other guys have never implicated him in the stabbings. Lewis did plea to obstruction (or something related) but there's no evidence the incident didn't happen the way the court ruled. (This is ripe for a tell-on/investigated book, but none have surfaced),
Lewis often talks about how this changed his life, that he should not have put himself in the situation but there is also no evidence that he initiated or participated in the deaths. Civil awards are not unusual and for someone of Lewis' stature the money he paid out was likely worth prolonging the situation any longer, and there was a good chance he would have been dinged for his role based purely on his plea bargain anyway. However, the settlement does not necessarily mean more evidence would emerge or any admission of further involvement.
I get that some fans don't like him but it's annoying when their prejudices allow for accusations that are not true (or at the very least, cannot be proven).