Ricky Williams is retiring
 

Miami running back Ricky Williams has retired from the NFL after 5 seasons at 27 years old. He is planning on moving on "to bigger and better things."

BIG shocker here, the Dolphins just got shot... 7 picks gone...
Wanstedt is of course, very upset, and they're trying to convince him to come back, but he has said that he has no intention of changing his mind.

(btw, this is in no way a joke... but it is soo very weird.)

Yeah I just saw this to, Unbelievable! Following in the steps of barry Sanders, Jim Brown, and Robert Smith. I guess Dolphin fans better wait till next year. Since travis Minor is the star running back now. Unbelievable!!!

wow, wow and more wow

[url]http://espn.go.com/[/url]

Dolphins fans are seriously hating life right about now.

How about Betts and a pick for Ogunleye? ;)

that doesn't sound too bad

[url]http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/columnists/dan_le_batard/9237156.htm?1c[/url]

The 27-year-old running back's seismic decision to leave football in his prime, a week before the start of Dolphins training camp, is perfectly in keeping with his personality. It is outsized, enigmatic, brave, unpredictable, complex, interesting, selfish and surprising enough to leave your mouth hanging open.

And, of course, different.

Above all, right to the very end of a football career that will be finished when he formally faxes his retirement papers to the NFL offices early this week, Williams always has been relentlessly different.

''I'm finally free,'' Williams said by cellphone from Hawaii. ``I can't remember ever being this happy.''

Why is he doing this?

Well, why not?

This is how Williams has always floated through life, going wherever the wind guided him, so he never really fit within the drill-sergeant rigidity of football with all its rules, regimen and stopwatches. He relished the playing part with a child's enthusiasm, but the business part was always much too adult for him. Williams has an artist's sensibilities and sensitivities, forever fascinated by things beyond that ball, and he is no longer interested in playing his life away.

He wants to study, learn, search, travel, question, write, meditate, read, wander, find himself, climb mountains, take pictures of waterfalls and be Dad without being interrupted by another 8 a.m. meeting to dissect film.

His heart isn't in it anymore, in other words. And, in both running style and lifestyle, his body will not go if his heart doesn't lead. Williams doesn't do indifference. He either plays passionately, as he did for two bruising seasons as a Dolphin, or not at all. So not-at-all is what it'll have to be, even as this Dolphin season appears to be wrecked before it gets started, because Williams figures he'll either get injured or hurt the team playing in a sport this savage without motivation.

He thought he might be able to make it through this one last season for his teammates, and only for them, but couldn't convince himself of it even after weeks of trying. He says he plans to call each of them individually in the coming weeks to apologize. He can't play for others. Williams has always been a locker-room loner, alone with his excellence, sitting apart from teammates even on the bench during games, and now he puts yet more distance between himself and those who play.

''I just don't want to be in this business anymore,'' said Williams, finished after just five NFL seasons. ``I was never strong enough to not play football, but I'm strong enough now. I've considered everything about this. Everyone has thrown every possible scenario at me about why I shouldn't do this, but they're in denial. I'm happy with my decision.''

LONG TIME COMING

This is not some whim. Williams has been weighing this with friends for months and finally told an angry, crushed Dave Wannstedt on Friday night. Williams' decision was clinched while on tour recently in Europe with rocker friend Lenny Kravitz, who is so consumed with working and fame's responsibilities that he doesn't have much time for joy, or for himself. That's not what Williams wants to become of his own life. Williams says with conviction that no one will talk him into coming back, even though Wannstedt continues to try.

This isn't about any money dispute or leverage or the recent headlines involving his marijuana use. It's about outgrowing games. Williams' conviction has grown into clarity in recent weeks. He kept finding examples for why he should do this everywhere he looked -- backstage with Kravitz and Snoop Dogg, while befriending homeless people in Australia, on Jamaican beaches with Bob Marley's carefree kids.

''The people in Jamaica, living in these little tin shacks, they were the happiest people I've ever seen,'' Williams said. ``This is an opportunity to be a real role model. Everyone wants freedom. Human beings aren't supposed to be controlled and told what to do. They're supposed to be given direction and a path. Don't tell me what I can and can't do. Please.''

Society and the NFL say he can't smoke marijuana, for example, and that's one of the many rules of his confining workplace he will no longer abide. He says without apology he has gotten around NFL drug tests with a special liquid players all over the league consume by the gallon before tests to avoid detection. He says he simply didn't drink it before getting busted in 2002, and that he still hasn't heard on his appeal of a second failed test, but that the recent marijuana issues have nothing to do with his decision to retire beyond confirming how stifling celebrity can be and how ill-fitting the NFL is for him.

FAME AND MISFORTUNE

Williams has never been interested in money or fame, finding the former empty and the latter corrupt. He keeps thousands of dollars in hundreds in the unlocked glove compartment of an unlocked car and gives it away to strangers. He cut off his famous dreadlocks while on an Australian vacation (even though it cost him $750,000 from Gillette advertisers who wanted to capture the moment) because he craved the new anonymity baldness gave him.

He has formed a friendship with controversial Jim Brown, another running back who retired in his prime to pursue a movie career. And he was moved recently by a long conversation with former Minnesota running back Robert Smith, who also quit at his peak to pursue a medical career because he thought the beatings that running backs took were inhumane. But what Williams is doing is still unprecedented. No great back -- not Brown, not Barry Sanders, not Smith -- has ever retired this young and this healthy.

Williams is putting his cars and Miami homes up for sale. He already donated some of the money from them to a local school.

He says he'll probably spend the upcoming football season traveling abroad -- he hasn't gone to Dolphin workouts in weeks -- but doesn't have a concrete plan for his future.

''I have no idea what I'm going to do,'' he said. ``Who knows? I just know it is going to be fun. Going to school again. Going to travel for the next six months. I'm half-way intelligent. I'll figure something out. I don't feel like I have to explain myself to anyone. All I end up doing anyway is giving rebuttals, and it is boring. I don't want to do it anymore. That's it. I don't want to do this anymore. If people really care about me, that would be enough for them.''

It isn't, of course. People care about the Dolphins a lot more than they care about him, so he'll become a traitor or worse in South Florida, just like that. That's another reason Williams disdains fame: Real love isn't this fickle. So he isn't terribly bothered that what was always a conditional, counterfeit sentiment (the volume of the cheering going up or down depending on his production) will now turn into a poison he won't even hear abroad. He says he plans to live in another country, and soon.

''The only people I'm accountable to are to my three children, and they love me anyway,'' Williams said. ``Whenever you are afraid to do something, you should do it. I've been afraid of this for too long. I'm not anymore.''

He was at the airport in Hawaii as he talked on his cell phone Saturday night, bound for a flight somewhere to Asia. The airline agent asked him for his return ticket to the United States. He said he did not have one.

Abandoning the team a week before camp? Traitor? Lunatic? Williams doesn't care what anyone thinks of him anymore. He is following a voice only he can hear. He is done doing what other people want, done answering to yelling coaches who care only about their own self-preservation, done being hit by 350-pounders, done waking up in pain, done being a piece of meat, done being confined, done being polluted by fame and fortune and football.

He's done.

Perfectly Ricky, right up until the end.

He's done running for money.

Now he runs for free.

What a wild story! Wonder if Eddie George is regretting signing so fast with the Cowboys now. Are there any other running backs even out there?

Well wait there is one.....TRUNG!!!!

By the way, this has nothing to do with this thread but That Guy, which guy are you? [url]http://www.epistemic.org/#[/url]. I tried clicking on the about section for the members, but got an error message

I had high hopes for the Dolphins this year. Nevermind.

wow....

sounds like ricky didn't like being famous, and honestly I can understand that, people caring about what you do, but not who you are, etc...

the dolphins are completely screwed though... that's just about the worst thing that could happen to them. He's lucky though, he has the money to be truly free.

I know which fans aren't using madden's roster update this year ;)

Smootsmack, I'm aaron ;) do keys and karl and I do the behind the scenes stuff (booking, live sound setups, recording etc).

Ricky will be back, i'm calling it right now. The guy has mental issues and a history of depression. He probably had some chemical imbalance when he made this decesion. He'll be back.

OMFG. This is a tragedy equivalent in magnitude to that of Romeo and Juliet. I'm crying and laughing at the same time.

Seriously though, if this makes the guy happy I say more power to him. He has financial freedom and he hates his job. A very dangerous combination for employers. I hope this makes him truly happy.

[QUOTE=skins009]Ricky will be back, i'm calling it right now. The guy has mental issues and a history of depression. He probably had some chemical imbalance when he made this decesion. He'll be back.[/QUOTE]


I'll take that bet in the opposite direction. Civlization may never hear from him again until NFL Films does one of those "Where are they now" segments.

I'll vote for "gone for good." It appears he really doesn't like football that much, he was just good at it... but I really don't know too much about him. Maybe he's planning on going all Bono and doing charity work... really sounds like he just thought he's looking to do something more important or worthwhile with his life. I reserve the right to be dead wrong though (isn't that ironic?).

I also think that he's probably thought about this decision for months and months, and if he's gone public and told the coach, it means he's not going back. If he had doubts he wouldn't have started the sideshow yet.

Damn. I woke up this morning and saw this and I'm shocked. I honestly thought it was a hoax when I first saw it. I really hate to see this guy leave, I loved watching him play. However, you do what you gotta do to be happy. Sorry Dolphin fan, you must be pretty pissed right now.

I'm stunned and a little upset about this whole situation. I can't believe he's leaving the game at just 27 years old, claiming he doesn't like it anymore. I guess I can understand that, but....no I really can't. It just doesn't make sense. Ricky was one of my favorite running backs in the NFL. How could he do this?

[QUOTE=skins009]Ricky will be back, i'm calling it right now. The guy has mental issues and a history of depression. He probably had some chemical imbalance when he made this decesion. He'll be back.[/QUOTE]
This is exactly what I was talking about when I was concerned about Sean Taylor and mental health issues. It seemed as though he didn't really want to play football, or be a Redskin. But after reading Matty's post, I think that maybe Ricky Williams is the one whose head is on straight, and I wish him all the best.
Being honest, though, it's easy for me to say that because Ricky's a Dolphin. I can't be so laidback about Sean, being the huge Redskins fan that I am.

oh yeah, an entire draft class, and the return on that is nothing 2 years later... i'd bet they'd be steamed. usually 7 picks gives you more years (if the 1st rounder is any good, 6 years+ and then the other 6 rounds...), they got 2 years, REAL bad deal on their end.

of course, i don't think anyone really saw this coming... i mean, he's the kind of RB that could sit in the top ten each season for another 5-6 years...

Yeah, I figured he would be back when I first heard this. But hearing about the influence from Jim Brown and Robert Smith convinces me otherwise. Not only are the Dolphins done for the season, it is a major setback for the keeper-league Hogskins. I drafted him when he came into the NFL Now I gotta rely on Tiki... damn! Well, I will still keep him on my practice squad for a year or two just in case.

Looks like the Dolphins wil have to rely on the precision passing of, let me check my roster here...

A.J. Feeley?

Oh, those guys are screwed. Revise your Power Rankings, boys.

man. major news. their entire offense was built on him. burn the playbook, burn the season.

i understand where Ricky is coming from though, he never seemed happy where he was. maybe he'll never be happy. its good to hear he says he's happy now, but i wonder if he'd feel differently if he never made all that money. who knows.

i hope he gave Wannstadt some more warning though, because he's really leaving tons of people out to dry in the organization. not even talking about the fans, their livelihoods didnt count on him.

[QUOTE=IowaSkinsFan]I'll take that bet in the opposite direction. Civlization may never hear from him again until NFL Films does one of those "Where are they now" segments.[/QUOTE]
That's what I'm leaning toward, too. I think Williams enjoys life outside of football too much to come back. I think he'll do exactly what he said he's going to do, and it might be a long time before he even shows his face in the United States again. Then again, he might be broke in 5 years-- seeing as how he's giving his money away to any and all takers-- so maybe we'll see him again sooner than I think. I just don't think it'll be in a football uniform.

Good luck to him, and I hope he finds what he's looking for...



:cool-smil

I gotta think this puts O-gu out of our reach now. There are too many other teams with good running back depth, and Miami needs a real back in the worse way. I expect the trade to involve a TJ Duckett or Larry Johnson type backup.

[QUOTE=Carnage]I gotta think this puts O-gu out of our reach now. There are too many other teams with good running back depth, and Miami needs a real back in the worse way. I expect the trade to involve a TJ Duckett or Larry Johnson type backup.[/QUOTE]

ugh. think you might be right. :(

I'm sorry to say but Ricky Williams is cleary a head case. I respect his decition to retire. Its a fee country and you can do what ever you want. But if he thinks the kids in Jamiaca living in tin shakes not knowing where there next meal is gonna come from, would at any moment without a shread of hesitation trade for ricky's life, then he is just a dumb ass. The guy ovouisly doesn't understand how good he has it, even if he didn't like his job of playing a game and being paid millions. I remind everyone again that the guy has a history of depression and might just be in a funk right now.

anyone out there already do a fantasy football draft and get ricky? I guess the big boards just got a little shaken up.

so, I just read three articles from various Miami newspapers that apparently were written before the Ricky Williams announcement. Talking about how their coach is on the hot seat and how a qb controversey is going to rip the team apart. None of them mentioned Williams being gone. Thats not good for Dolphins fans to have these precamp articles written about how its going to be ar ough year, and then they find out they lose their star... man that sucks.

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]Dolphins fans are seriously hating life right about now.

How about Betts and a pick for Ogunleye? ;)[/QUOTE]

Matt, as insane as that sounds it may just give the Redskins the leverage that they needed to pull off a deal. The Phins are in a horrible way right now.

This could make Dan Snyder look even more like a deal making genius.

[QUOTE=skins009]I'm sorry to say but Ricky Williams is cleary a head case. I respect his decition to retire. Its a fee country and you can do what ever you want. But if he thinks the kids in Jamiaca living in tin shakes not knowing where there next meal is gonna come from, would at any moment without a shread of hesitation trade for ricky's life, then he is just a dumb ass. The guy ovouisly doesn't understand how good he has it, even if he didn't like his job of playing a game and being paid millions. I remind everyone again that the guy has a history of depression and might just be in a funk right now.[/QUOTE]

its a game to an extent but the beating these guys take on their bodies and their minds is far from having a great job. Sure the money makes up for some of at(atleast the signing bonus money), but when a significant portion of that is going to go towards surgeries and physical therapy as your body begins to break down 20-30 years before it normally does, it catches up to u.

I'm am totally blown away about this annoucement as well as the timing of it. I'm all for people doing the things that make them happy(in a legal matter,lol), but being the main offensive weapon for your team and leaving the week before training camp starts is pretty messed up. God knows how different Williams has set himself apart from everyone else since his arrival in the league, but this is even more surprising than Barry Sanders early retirement I believe.
I could see the trade for Ogun. going down now if we offered up betts, maybe another player, and our 3rd round pick. But one things for sure, I think this announcement blows everything else that happened over the offseason out of the water.

i bet they could get a better RB from another team though. Betts has been injured a LOT, and hasn't really proven that he's really worth trading for... not as a primary runner anyways... they just lost their big running threat, and i doubt they're looking for their new one to be a bench warmer.

It's surprising news but coming from a guy like Ricky, when you think about it, it's really not that surprising. He's always been a different cat.

I know it's hard to believe, but there is life outside of the NFL for some people and for some it's just a job. For guys like Sanders, Smith and now Williams, it's easy to walk away and a decision for them that makes complete sense.

Looking at it from our perspective, it's easy to ask how can someone walk away from all that money and fame, well when that's all you've known your whole life, maybe some peace and quiet looks that much more attractive.

Yes, Ricky has been a headcase since he was drafted. He's so incrediably shy he can't really fit in with the team, etc. I am glad we didn't draft him, and I'm not suprised at all. We had a long discussion about Ricky a few months back.

At least he's a great role model. I want to leave the NFL so I can get high!

[QUOTE=That Guy]i bet they could get a better RB from another team though. Betts has been injured a LOT, and hasn't really proven that he's really worth trading for... not as a primary runner anyways... they just lost their big running threat, and i doubt they're looking for their new one to be a bench warmer.[/QUOTE]

yeah but how many other teams r willing to send a drafk pick and a rb to the dolphins 4 ogun? cuz I think it will take that much even after Williams sudden retirement announcement.

I bet next year, the phins r gonna be on top of the list of teams going after edgarrin james unless they somehow have someone emerge as their main runningback.

I give him credit though, at least he walked away rather than commit to a season he didn't want to play. Even though its not the same, i quit my high school basketball team because i didn't want to play...so i understand that sense of freedom he said he felt.

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]Dolphins fans are seriously hating life right about now.

How about Betts and a pick for Ogunleye? ;)[/QUOTE]


I was thinking the same thing.....

You know what really sucks for the dolphins is that if they would have known that Ricky was gonna retire they could have taken Stephen Jackson in the draft. Haha this really sucks for them. Strickley from a redskins point of view (which is all that matters) this could be great news because it means two more wins for Buffalo which in turn means a later first round pick for the cowboys. Who of course have the bills first round pick.

Sure the timing sucks, but should Ricky have just gone through the motions this year for the sake of his teammates? That's a hard call to make.

Either way the Dolphins are in deep do-do. They need to work a trade and fast. Travis Minor is a nice change of pace guy, but not someone to carry the load.