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(KRT) - He just wanted to smoke dope.
That's the real story behind Ricky Williams quitting the Miami Dolphins.
Don't listen to any of the babble about Williams wanting to go out on top like Barry Sanders did with the Detroit Lions. Nor is it like 27-year-old Mike Reid quitting the Cincinnati Bengals in his prime to follow his dream to pursue a music career, which he had studied seriously for years.
Or 29-year-old Jim Brown retiring to go into movies, where the former Browns star already had a solid track record.
Ricky Williams just wanted to smoke dope and travel the world.
This piece of information comes directly from Ricky Williams, who speaks to the public via Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald.
``I'm finally free,'' Williams said.
Free to smoke all the dope he wants to without having to worry about any of those pesky NFL drug tests. He just flunked his third. If he had wanted to play this season, he was going to be suspended for at least the first four games, possibly more.
Williams said he had forgotten to use the masking agent that he said has kept him from being caught on other drug tests. He even named the product in an interview with the Miami Herald, saying exactly how much to drink and with how much water.
In his warped world, he probably thought that he was doing a public service.
If Ricky Williams would rather smoke dope than make $3.5 million as an NFL running back this fall, that's his business.
Browns fullback Terrelle Smith said Williams told him that he planned to retire after six years. Smith, who was a teammate of Williams, said he ``is a good guy who has been through a lot and most people don't understand him.'' That might be true, but understand that Ricky Williams attended several of the Dolphins' summer camps. A player doesn't endure all the off-season conditioning unless he plans to play.
When he learned that he had failed yet another drug test, he was inspired to buy a one-way ticket to Asia - where he would not have to worry about the reaction of his teammates. They had every right to assume that he'd be there for them this season.
Nor did he play fair with his employer. If he planned to quit, he should have told the Dolphins months ago - not on the eve of training camp, when it's nearly impossible to find a replacement because most free agents have been signed. So this is not about a 27-year-old Ricky Williams worried that he carried the ball too much and could be crippled for life - which he mentioned.
Nor is it about his claim that he wanted to spend time with his children. If so, why take off on a solo safari to Asia? And he just came back from a summer in Europe, where he said he smoked dope while touring with rocker Lenny Kravitz.
Oh, there also was a summer trip to Australia.
So the single father wasn't exactly home for the kids every night.
Don't turn this into a debate about marijuana being against the law while alcohol and cigarettes are legal. The bottom line isn't just marijuana, it's that Ricky Williams is a lost soul. He was fined $650,000 last year for a failed drug test and was looking at another $1.7 million in fines this season, according to the Herald.
That tells you something is wrong, even if Williams insists that he's not addicted.
He seemed to be making progress from his days in New Orleans, where he sometimes gave interviews while wearing his football helmet. He was later diagnosed with a social anxiety order.
In Miami, he underwent therapy, took medication and gained 3,225 yards the past two seasons. He became a spokesman for the drug Paxil, an anti-depressant.
But his latest comment was, ``Marijuana is 10 times better than Paxil.''
So Ricky Williams wants to smoke dope and travel. But he'll learn the hard way that no matter where you go and how much dope you smoke, you take yourself and your problems with you.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BY TERRY PLUTO
Wed, Aug. 04, 2004
© 2004, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).
https://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9321560.htm?1c
That's the real story behind Ricky Williams quitting the Miami Dolphins.
Don't listen to any of the babble about Williams wanting to go out on top like Barry Sanders did with the Detroit Lions. Nor is it like 27-year-old Mike Reid quitting the Cincinnati Bengals in his prime to follow his dream to pursue a music career, which he had studied seriously for years.
Or 29-year-old Jim Brown retiring to go into movies, where the former Browns star already had a solid track record.
Ricky Williams just wanted to smoke dope and travel the world.
This piece of information comes directly from Ricky Williams, who speaks to the public via Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald.
``I'm finally free,'' Williams said.
Free to smoke all the dope he wants to without having to worry about any of those pesky NFL drug tests. He just flunked his third. If he had wanted to play this season, he was going to be suspended for at least the first four games, possibly more.
Williams said he had forgotten to use the masking agent that he said has kept him from being caught on other drug tests. He even named the product in an interview with the Miami Herald, saying exactly how much to drink and with how much water.
In his warped world, he probably thought that he was doing a public service.
If Ricky Williams would rather smoke dope than make $3.5 million as an NFL running back this fall, that's his business.
Browns fullback Terrelle Smith said Williams told him that he planned to retire after six years. Smith, who was a teammate of Williams, said he ``is a good guy who has been through a lot and most people don't understand him.'' That might be true, but understand that Ricky Williams attended several of the Dolphins' summer camps. A player doesn't endure all the off-season conditioning unless he plans to play.
When he learned that he had failed yet another drug test, he was inspired to buy a one-way ticket to Asia - where he would not have to worry about the reaction of his teammates. They had every right to assume that he'd be there for them this season.
Nor did he play fair with his employer. If he planned to quit, he should have told the Dolphins months ago - not on the eve of training camp, when it's nearly impossible to find a replacement because most free agents have been signed. So this is not about a 27-year-old Ricky Williams worried that he carried the ball too much and could be crippled for life - which he mentioned.
Nor is it about his claim that he wanted to spend time with his children. If so, why take off on a solo safari to Asia? And he just came back from a summer in Europe, where he said he smoked dope while touring with rocker Lenny Kravitz.
Oh, there also was a summer trip to Australia.
So the single father wasn't exactly home for the kids every night.
Don't turn this into a debate about marijuana being against the law while alcohol and cigarettes are legal. The bottom line isn't just marijuana, it's that Ricky Williams is a lost soul. He was fined $650,000 last year for a failed drug test and was looking at another $1.7 million in fines this season, according to the Herald.
That tells you something is wrong, even if Williams insists that he's not addicted.
He seemed to be making progress from his days in New Orleans, where he sometimes gave interviews while wearing his football helmet. He was later diagnosed with a social anxiety order.
In Miami, he underwent therapy, took medication and gained 3,225 yards the past two seasons. He became a spokesman for the drug Paxil, an anti-depressant.
But his latest comment was, ``Marijuana is 10 times better than Paxil.''
So Ricky Williams wants to smoke dope and travel. But he'll learn the hard way that no matter where you go and how much dope you smoke, you take yourself and your problems with you.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BY TERRY PLUTO
Wed, Aug. 04, 2004
© 2004, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).
https://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9321560.htm?1c
