SBNation.com - Ricky Williams Retires: Complicated Player Ending Long Football Careerhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2012-04-01T14:54:55-04:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/25468122012-04-01T14:54:55-04:002012-04-01T14:54:55-04:00PHOTO: Ricky Williams Statue Unveiled At Texas Spring Football Game
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<p>When <span>Ricky Williams</span> retired from the NFL, pro football fans remarked on his all-over-the-place legacy, which mostly meant talking about Mike Ditka in a dress and Canada and marijuana. All of which sounds like a real great party.</p>
<p>But college fans also get to remember Williams as one of the best players of all time, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/texas-longhorns">Texas Longhorns</a> fans especially so. At Texas' 2012 spring game, the Horns revealed Williams' statue at Darrell K. Royal Stadium:</p>
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<p>Marked in the grounds of DKR forever. Longhorn Legend Ricky Williams gets his statue to mark his greatness. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523longhorns">#longhorns</a> <a href="http://t.co/LNkTOsyq" title="http://twitter.com/LonghornNetwork/status/186526804331347969/photo/1">twitter.com/LonghornNetwor…</a></p>
— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/LonghornNetwork/status/186526804331347969" data-datetime="2012-04-01T18:53:51+00:00">April 1, 2012</a>
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<p>Williams commented on the occasion, saying he's proud to be back and that he challenged current Texas players to earn statues of their own. Earl Campbell and Royal himself were among those on hand.</p>
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<p><i>For more on Horns football, visit Texas blogs <a href="http://burntorangenation.com">Burnt Orange Nation</a> and <a href="http://barkingcarnival.com">Barking Carnival</a>, plus <a href="http://dallas.sbnation.com">SB Nation Dallas</a>.</i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/4/1/2918382/ricky-williams-statue-texas-football-spring-gameJason Kirk2012-02-24T09:12:26-05:002012-02-24T09:12:26-05:00Texas, Please Don't Let Ricky Williams' Statue Look Like This
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<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/texas-longhorns" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Longhorns</a> are putting up<a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/wires/02/23/2060.ap.fbc.texas.williams.statue.0129/index.html"> a statue in honor of Heisman winner Ricky Williams</a>, and we can all hope they go for something better than <a href="http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/75135-UT-Football-Basketball-Baseball-amp-Golf-statues-behind-Co-op">those terracotta army guys </a>they had out behind the Co-Op:</p>↵<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/993462/IMG_1473.jpg"><img width="300" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/993462/IMG_1473_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Img_1473_medium"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/2/24/2821289/ricky-williams-statueJason Kirk2012-02-08T09:00:57-05:002012-02-08T09:00:57-05:00Ricky Williams Retires, Leaving Behind Enigmatic Legacy
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<img alt="CAPTION: Dec 18, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams (34) during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5rL_39o1Xv8_Z96u8pRQPHOvSGs=/0x0:1100x733/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/940655/uspw_5825484.jpg" />
<figcaption>CAPTION: Dec 18, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams (34) during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Ricky Williams retired after 11 NFL seasons, five more than he ever intended to play. Still, we'll remember him as a person and enigma more than as a football player.</p> <p>Has anyone been a more prototypical football player while simultaneously being the opposite than <span>Ricky Williams</span>? Few will forget the cover of the Aug. 9, 1999 issue of ESPN The Magazine. There stood Williams, expected by many to be the next Earl Campbell, sporting what I assume was a fashionable wedding dress, while Mike Ditka played the groom.<br><br>But Tuesday, when Williams retired after 11 NFL seasons, I thought of another issue of The Mag. In the Dec. 6 issue, <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=217327">he did a uncommonly revealing interview with Dan LeBatard</a>. He described the agony of his rookie season -- the losing, the injuries, even being passed by <span>Ron Dayne</span> on the all-time NCAA rushing list -- with a sensitivity rarely seen from any athlete, let alone a football player.<br><br>This passage, about Williams' anxiety before playing a game with a forearm injury, says it all.</p>
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<p>On the field before the game, I was so scared, knowing the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bears</a> were going to be going after me at 100 miles per hour, trying to kill the gimp. I wanted to go up to Coach and tell him I'd changed my mind. When I came out during introductions, I could only slap hands using my left hand. I was shaking. One of my teammates came over and asked me how I was doing. I told him that, honest to God, I felt like I was about to wet my pants. He called me a pussy. Football players are real sympathetic souls that way.</p>
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<p>A couple of weeks later, the Saints played the <a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cowboys</a> at the Superdome. Even in standard definition, it was clear the Cowboys thought they could break Williams. After one tackle, a Dallas linebacker put his crotch as close to Williams face as he could after a tackle. That's what a little honesty can get you in the NFL, at least when you see things as Ricky did.</p>
<p>He was 230 pounds, ran in the 4.4 range, and seemed immune to the contact he craved. He was a workhorse, as 390-plus attempt seasons in college and the NFL indicate. Before the NFL truly became a passing league, teams dreamed of the chance to build around a feature back like Williams.<br><br>NFL teams run from headcases, though. In a judgmental world, that would pass for a fair assessment of Ricky. Some of what seemed weird could be clinically diagnosed -- notably the social anxiety disorder that compelled him to do interviews in his helmet -- and some was just ... weird. Especially for a football player. What other football players, modern gladiators who so often seem invincible, would matter-of-factly tell the world about his fear, flaws and insecurities? Or put on a wedding dress in public? Or spend prime playing -- and earning -- years studying holistic medicine?<br><br>Williams wasn't a superhero, nor did he want us to believe that. According to the machismo and contrived masculinity so prevalent in sports, he was barely a man to some. But that's what Ricky Williams has proven to be above all else -- a human being. At time, he was a weak one. How else could one describe someone who repeatedly failed drug tests he knew were coming? Moments of weakness, of course, made him no different from anyone else. It was the sincerity with which he dealt with that humanity that made him so memorable, for better or worse.<br><br>The better parts were captured in "<a href="http://30for30.espn.com/film/run-ricky-run.html">Run Ricky Run</a>," the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary that didn't just show Williams' attempts to better understand himself. The film's purpose was that quest. The only condition Ricky gave anyone who appeared on camera was complete honesty. That's a step so many are afraid to take behind closed doors, with no one to hear them but a trained, privilege-bound professional. Ricky showed it to the world. That wasn't just admirable. Considering the realm that made Williams famous, it was positively amazing.<br><br>The worst was his first departure from the NFL, which cost him the chance at a Hall of Fame career. He got tired of taking drug test after drug test, in spite of that condition being self-inflicted. He called Dave Wannstedt in 2004, <a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1204-DEC_RICKY">looking for assurances the Dolphins cared enough about him to lighten his workload and protect his body</a>. He wanted the reassurance he received in Austin. Before Wannstedt even had to say anything, he quit.</p>
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<p>Wannstedt's response, apparently, firmed up Ricky's feelings that he'd done the right thing. As Ricky recalls it: "He said, 'If you were my son, I'd tell you that you should keep playing football.' And I said, 'No, you wouldn't. You'd tell him to do whatever made him happy. And if you didn't tell him that, you wouldn't be a very good father.' "</p>
<p>Truth is, Ricky was calling the coach a liar, and both of them knew it. "I really had no idea what was going to happen next," Ricky says.</p>
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<p>Ricky loved playing football, even if he didn't like doing so for a living. No one could carry the ball 775 in consecutive seasons, an NFL record that may never be broken, unless his heart was in it. He loved the game enough to try to shoulder the burden of New Orleans trading its entire draft for him. The world laughed at the incentive-dependent deal No Limit Sports negotiated for him -- the single dumbest in pro sports history -- but Williams embraced the motivation to "earn his money" like fans say they want players to do. And considering the futility of logging 253 carries behind the 1999 <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Saints</a> offensive line, he damn near played football for free.</p>
<p>Loving football wasn't enough to stop him from leaving it. It was courageous to walk away, even if he did so in a cowardly way. Football was never his singular focus. The tunnel vision that most of the greats in any world possess wasn't in Ricky. He was too into his own head, reefer, and whatever else moved him at a given time. It made him a refreshing departure from what we're used to from football players. It also stopped him from being the football player he could have been.<br><br>It's unlikely Ricky Williams cares about that. He only planned to play six NFL seasons anyway. We may have seen a yellow blazer in his future, but Ricky never planned to play that much football.<br><br>In the end, he played 11 seasons over 13 years. The last six years for the money, even though Williams thought pro sports were corrupt. He did it for the same reasons most of us go to work -- <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fsports%2Ffootball%2Fnfl%2Fdolphins%2F2004-10-30-williams-suit_x.htm&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnfl%2F2012%2F2%2F8%2F2783834%2Fricky-williams-retires-baltimore-ravens" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">grownups have bills to pay</a>. It's almost ironic to think of that. Ricky looked and ran like a football player, but seemed nothing like one. He didn't seem like anyone. But when he returned to the NFL, he did so because he was just like us.<br><br>Truth be told, he's only like Ricky. It's fitting that his legacy will be less about football than himself. The man he was, the one he wasn't, and the one he's still becoming.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/2/8/2783834/ricky-williams-retires-baltimore-ravensBomani Jones2012-02-07T15:15:04-05:002012-02-07T15:15:04-05:00Ricky Williams Confirms Retirement: 'An Amazing Chapter In My Life'
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<p><span>Ricky Williams</span>, fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, is calling it a career. Williams told the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Baltimore Ravens</a> on Tuesday that he was planning to retire from the NFL after 11 seasons. Williams played for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">Saints</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Dolphins</a> and Ravens in his career.</p>
<p>Williams was <a href="http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2012/02/07/ricky-williams-retires-from-nfl/">quoted by the Ravens official site </a>in his retirement announcement:</p>
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<p>"The NFL has been an amazing page in this chapter of my life," Williams said. "I pray that all successive adventures offer me the same potential for growth, success and most importantly, fun. I want to thank all my fans, teammates, coaches and supporters for the strength they've given me to overcome so much."</p>
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<p>As we noted, Williams was a complicated player. He was great on the field rushing for over 10,000 yards in his career but there were so many distractions off the field that kept him from playing. He missed multiple seasons due to failed drug tests (marijuana) and has already retired once. </p>
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<p>"As for what's next, I am excited about all the opportunities ahead - continuing my education, running The Ricky Williams Foundation and whatever other opportunities present themselves," Williams said.</p>
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<p><a href="http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2012/02/07/ricky-williams-retires-from-nfl/">Check out the official release for more</a>.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/2/7/2782868/ricky-williams-retirement-baltimore-ravensJoel Thorman2012-02-07T14:31:34-05:002012-02-07T14:31:34-05:00Ricky Williams Retiring From NFL: Complex Legacy Includes Heisman Trophy At Texas
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<img alt="27 Nov 1998: Running back Ricky Williams #34 of the Texas Longhorns in action during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at the Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 26-24." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y2Vd4L0noBT4XNxrUKT-J5o47Bs=/0x7:1100x740/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/939253/397190.jpg" />
<figcaption>27 Nov 1998: Running back Ricky Williams #34 of the Texas Longhorns in action during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at the Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 26-24.</figcaption>
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<p>Lest we forget, Ricky Williams, a one-time NFL All-Pro, was also one of the best running backs in college football history.</p> <p>Former <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/texas-longhorns" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Longhorns</a> running back <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/2/7/2782563/ricky-williams-retires">Ricky Williams is retiring from his NFL career</a>, NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported Tuesday. Before he bounced between the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dolphins</a> and Canada and before <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Saints</a> coach Mike Ditka spent an entire draft on him, Williams made his mark in Austin as one of the greatest college football players ever.</p>
<p>He became the NCAA's I-A all-time rushing yardage leader in 1998, when he virtually swept college football's major awards, including the Heisman Trophy. Though that record's since been broken, he still owns at least a part of 20 NCAA records. He ran for 6,592 yards and scored 90 touchdowns from scrimmage. <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2012/2/7/2782627/report-ricky-williams-will-retire">Texas fans remember him as a legend, but a complicated one</a>:</p>
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<p>If Williams is indeed ready to hang up his cleats, he leaves a legacy as complex as his own personality. It's not particularly easy to make sense of it, but as a player in a league that often demands conformity, Williams clearly walked his own path. It seems commendable that he worked so hard to keep his identity from being completely tied to football, something that should serve him well as he transitions to life after the game.</p>
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<p>He made the Sports Illustrated cover in '98, with <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1014561/index.htm">the cover story</a> listing future <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jets</a> coach Rex Ryan among the many stunned by Williams' talents. It's also worth pointing out he gave up a year's worth of NFL salary and risked his entire career by returning for his senior year at Texas. From SI:</p>
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<p>Williams should already be gone. He would have been a top five pick in the NFL draft last spring, but he chose to return to Texas. He risks losing vast wealth nearly every time the Longhorns snap the ball. Last winter, fired Texas coach John Mackovic told Williams, "A running back can only take so many hits in his career." Williams doesn't disbelieve this, he simply disregards it. "It might be true," he said late last week. "But even if I am costing myself years at the end of my career, I don't care. I'm having too much fun."</p>
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<p>Williams never really stopped making choices all his own, something to which NFL fans who've been puzzled by his career over the years can attest.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Horns, visit <a href="http://burntorangenation.com">Texas blog Burnt Orange Nation</a>.</i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/2/7/2782734/ricky-williams-retiring-nfl-collegeJason Kirk2012-02-07T13:34:26-05:002012-02-07T13:34:26-05:00Ricky Williams Retires: Running Back Calls It Quits After 11 Seasons
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<p>Ricky Williams is apparently retiring, ending a career that included five 1,00-yard seasons but will likely be better remembered for his off-the-field antics.</p> <p><span>Ricky Williams</span> has apparently told the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Baltimore Ravens</a> that he is retiring. The 34-year-old running back was coming off a season in which he was primarily a backup, but still managed to accumulate more than 500 total yards and score a pair of touchdowns. He hit a high-water mark in Week 13, when he rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown during a victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/">Cleveland Browns</a>.</p>
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<p>Ricky Williams informed BAL officials he's retiring. Ends a distinguished if unconventional career. Team would have welcomed him back</p>
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) <a data-datetime="2012-02-07T18:08:59+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/166946572163219456">February 7, 2012</a>
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<p>This news would mark the end of a career that was among the more intriguing in NFL history. His career was punctuated by odd photo opportunities, some quality on-field performances, a well-known affinity for marijuana, an early retirement and an impressive comeback. Williams compiled more than 10,000 rushing yards and scored more than 100 touchdowns in a career that spanned 12 seasons.</p>
<p>Williams' NFL career was immediately made interesting when then-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> coach Mike Ditka traded his entire 1999 NFL Draft class in order to move up and pick the Heisman Trophy winner No. 5 overall. That prompted ESPN Magazine to stage a photo that depicted Williams in a wedding dress getting married to Ditka.</p>
<p>His on-the-field career did not start as well, and he had a somewhat disappointing rookie season in which he rushed for 884 yards. But he followed that up with four straight 1,000-yard seasons that included a 1,853-yard, 23-touchdown season with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>.</p>
<p>Williams tested positive for marijuana after the 2005 season and opted to retire, rather than serve his suspension. But he came back in 2007 and posted his fifth career 1,000-yard season in 2009, scoring 15 touchdowns to boot.</p>
<p><i>For more on Williams' retirement, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/" target="_blank">Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown</a>.</i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/2/7/2782563/ricky-williams-retiresJeremiah Oshan