Ricky Williams was given another chance. He played the second half of the 2005 NFL season, and he looked good in the public eye. NFL fans were starting to come around once again. Ricky was popular, at least for a while.
Now, Ricky has blown it again.
The other day, Williams tested positive on a drug test. Again. Now, the substance Williams tested positive for is unknown, and the test is on appeal. Where is Williams? He’s in India, studying holistic medicine and yoga.
Williams’s history is full of these ominous events. This is the fourth time Williams has tested positive for a substance. The previous three positive tests turned up marijuana, a substance Williams admitted to using.
Williams was suspended for 4 games following his third positive test, and the suspension took place at the beginning of last season. Williams, who retired and then went on a spiritual quest to find meaning, was the laughing stock of all NFL fans.
Then, Ricky seemed to turn the corner. Under new Dolphins coach Nick Saban, Williams seemed to return to his old self when he was placed in the lineup. Williams ran for 743 yards, which was not bad for someone who was sitting on the bench for half a year. Pan that out to a full year, and you get about 1500 yards.
Williams, of course, became expendable when the Dolphins drafted Ronnie Brown in the first round last year. It was Brown who started most of the games during the 2005 season, and Ricky Williams was just lucky to get SOME playing time. Brown is the Dolphins future, but Williams was making the youngster work for it.
NFL fans were starting to treat Williams with respect again, and he became reasonable trade bait. Now, not all teams would be willing to take the chance on Williams, but those desperate for a proven running back were willing to gamble on him. Ricky Williams was the Ricky Williams everyone knew from seasons past – a fast, hard-working running back considered one of the best players at his position.
And then, Ricky blew it again. Williams was finally back to respectability. There was a chance he would be playing football next year and earning a good deal of money, despite his troubled past. Odds are that he wouldn’t have been playing football in Miami, but playing anywhere is better than not playing at all.
His troubled past seemed to be history, and some may have thought that Ricky was on the right path, and that he could become one of the more feared NFL running backs once again. Since returning last season, the NFL has required him to undergo drug tests up to 10 times a month. You think Williams would stay clean since he was constantly under the microscope.
Wrong.
When are you going to learn Ricky? Something tells me that you won’t.
This is just another promising star ruining his life and his chances for stardom. Ricky Williams was going to be a household name a few years ago. Now, he’s a laughing stock, once again. In the future, he’ll be a forgotten name.
Williams will miss a year, but not many people will miss him. Will he be back? He says he will, but who would want him after 4 failed drug tests? Would YOU will be willing to pay money for a player who is prone to testing positive at every turn? I wouldn’t.
What a shame. What a mess.
