Ricky William's Profile at Pro-Football-Reference

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Mysterious Ways

There is a lot that people don't know about Ricky Williams.  In "high" school, he was a four-sport athlete.  He played football in the fall, wrestled in the winter, and ran track and played baseball in the spring.  When he turned 18, he was drafted in the 8^th round of an amateur talent draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1995.  He played four years at the Class A level, and then was taken in the 1998 Rule five draft by the Montreal Expos. 

Besides being a legendary talent in multiple sports in the city he grew up in (San Diego), he's also clinically depressed and has social anxiety disorder.  Those people never having experienced or dealt closely with depression or anxiety disorders typically scoff at them and chalk them up to being a "weak" person's affliction. 

Interviews with his helmet on, withdrawing from his teammates, and yes, smoking pot, were just a few ways that his disorders manifested themselves in Ricky.  And in professional sports, if you withdraw from your teammates, you are considered an outcast and will draw nothing but ire.  If you interview with your helmet on, you are considered aloof.  If you smoke pot, you will be suspended: 

"Marijuana is ten times better for me than Paxil"-Ricky Williams to ESPN after being suspended in 2004

"Ricky's just a different guy.  People he wanted to deal with, he did. And people he wanted to have nothing to do with, he didn't. No one could understand that. I don't think guys in the locker room could grasp that he wanted to be to himself - you know, quiet. If you didn't understand him and didn't know what he was about, it always kept people in suspense." Saints teammate WR Joe Horn

Contractual Obligations

Ricky is eccentric.  His "odd" behavior was noticed right away by those around him.  He signed former rap impresario Master P as his agent, sported dreadlocks (everyone forgets that Ricky made it OK for NFL players to sport dreads - you won't find many back in 1999), had myriad tattoos, and a tongue ring to boot.  Master P appointed someone on his staff, Leland Hardy, who had no experience negotiating professional sports contracts, to get a deal done expeditiously between Ricky and the Saints.  The outcome was one of the most peculiar contracts in professional sports to date; heavy on incentives and light on guaranteed cash.  It bought Ricky instant credibility with the public, but didn't go over so well with his peers.   There was a little over $8 million guaranteed in a sign on bonus, but Ricky would have to earn most of the rest of it through hitting performance milestones that were largely un-achievable and out of his control.  The contract signing had infinitely more impact to his career than just leaving a few million in cash on the negotiating table as it started him down a path of ostracization that he would never successfully work his way out of in New Orleans.

SAD

Bongload Anyone?

Ricky Williams smoked pot.  Period.  Three failed drug tests (with a rumored fourth as well) and a self-admission tell that tale.  But the reason behind it all is where it gets a little sketchy, and also, where too many people end up drawing their own conclusions. 

Ricky was always a shy kid, and grew up to become even more introverted.  It was this part of his character that people never quite understood and led people to start drawing their own conclusions.  Former Saints receiver Joe Horn summed it up pretty well when asked about it years ago.  He said,

But later on, it was confirmed that Williams was actually diagnosed with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder, therefore leading to much of his seemingly odd behavior.  These afflictions are what led him to smoking pot as he had tried the drug Paxil, but it didn't agree with his diet.  Ricky affirmed this by stating in an interview with ESPN that "marijuana is ten times better for me than Paxil" and that pot had been a much better treatment for his ailments because it produced fewer side effects than Paxil. 

In some people's eyes, all of this makes Ricky a sympathetic character as the humiliation of the failed drug tests and the scrutiny surrounding it all eventually drove Williams to retire from the sport he loved for a brief time.  In others eyes though, it simply turned him into a contemptible addict who had no business playing in the NFL and should not be allowed to continue with it in any sense... anywhere.  The latter of the two views was brought to the limelight by former NFL QB (and former CFL Toronto Argonaut QB) Joe Theismann.  When Ricky signed to play for the Toronto Argonauts during his hiatus from the NFL, Joe voiced his criticism on the situation by saying that he was disgraced to be associated with a team that would knowingly sign "an addict" such as Ricky Williams.  The disturbing part about this statement was that just four years prior, Joe's son had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possessing drug paraphernalia and was given a 10-year suspended prison term and was placed on five years probation and fined.  There were those, of course, that supported Ricky after this attack, notably one of the co-owners of the Argonauts who said about Theismann, "If I was his son and he's calling [Williams] a drug addict and he should quit and he's a loser, I'd be shattered. This thing is really bothersome."

When All Is Said and Done

Ricky's not a bad guy.  He's had his issues, sure, but who do you know who hasn't?  He has kids who he takes care of, he practices yoga, he's a vegetarian, and he's a supporter of PETA.  He also plays football for the Miami Dolphins, which he will do for at least this next year, and he has come out and said that he would like to keep playing for two more years beyond this one if there's a team that would have him.  So when all is said and done, Ricky Williams is a man, a human, just like everyone else, who is trying to make his way the best he can, doing the things he loves the most.  So please people, let's give this kid a break.  I mean jeez, no need to be a hater just because Ricky got to an infomercial on Natural Golf while standing alongside Mike Ditka!

2009 Fantasy Outlook