Ricky Williams RETIRES

[The_Menace]

Watching it on SportsCenter... 5 Seasons and he's GONE :shock:

[plexin05]

ruined my night

[The_Menace]

Yeah it's weird cause I was waitin' for the BoSox and Yanks Fight and this popped up on SportsCenter lol...

[plexin05]

i thought he died at first then i saw retired lol....too bad for dolphin tho he was a good player

[nbasuperstar40]

the end of the fins well they have good WR's

[StrikeThree]

Thats reallllllllly wierd

[The_Menace]

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

[StrikeThree]

Wanna post it so we dont have to register?

[StrikeThree]

I guess it shouldn't seem that strange for a guy who posed in a pic liek this.

http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/0813/photo/e_rwmd_i.jpg

[The_Menace]

You gotta register to see the article? I'll post it if needed

[StrikeThree]

Yeah you gotta register

[The_Menace]

**** i didn't copy it in time, now we gotta register ****

[Sanjuro Tsubaki]

Fantastic! Patriots WIN! Fatality!

[fjl2nd]

Yesssssssssss, good news for my bills!!! :D :D

[bhl]

he's stupid and i bet he comes back and plays horrible at some point.

[Bballrc20]

here is the article from the Miami herald
Ricky Williams: 'I'm retiring'

Fed up with football, Williams is retiring at 27

DAN LE BATARD

dlebatard@herald.com


Ricky Williams is retiring.

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 [***] 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 [***] , 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 [***] 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 free.

[Nets24]

Man that sucks he was an awesome player and will be missed. Too bad he's on all 3 of my fantasy teams.

[BlackBaron0127]

I'm happy for him he's doing what makes him happy in Ricky Williams style.
I mean sure he's a nutcase but he's happy. Thats all that matters rite...
But more importantly I get to sit back and watch the Dolphins suck lol...I HATE THE DOLPHINS! EGOTISTICAL MUTHAeffas lol! lol....They got a nut case in David Boston At WR he could snap at any time lol...They gpt a LB who shoots his mouth off and says ignorant things who needs to retire lol...A coach who lost all his power to a novice lol...lol....They have a battle for starter between 2 guys who would be 2nd or 3rd string for everyone else lol They choke alot lol lol...their vaunted defense sucked and will suck again altho I hope my boy Will Poole(GO CK ROYALS! I went to HS with him we graduated in same yr) has a great season except against the JETS......hahahahaha...dolphins gonna suck so hard now lol lol lol lol lol......This is beautful....Ricky Williams just stole shaq's thunder lol lol....lol.....

[Mariners in 2006]

Man that sucks he was an awesome player and will be missed. Too bad he's on all 3 of my fantasy teams.
Ouch, thats a tough hole to fill :?

[GoPanthers98]

he acts like playing in the NFL was a chore. He's lost all my respect, for one he screwed his teammates and team over cause now they're helplessly looking for a RB when he couldve told them he was considering retirement earlier so they could find a reliable RB through free agency, for two he says he wants to be a father but what kind of sense of responsiblity is he showing here? If you think about it he just quit his job to go smoke pot in asia, now there's a great fatherly figure :roll: . As for another thing that ticks me off there's so many people including myself that would give anything to be in his spot, as a player in the NFL, let alone a starting HB and an elite one. He's waisting loads of talent :x

[MuDvAyNe]

Man that sucks he was an awesome player and will be missed. Too bad he's on all 3 of my fantasy teams.
Ouch, thats a tough hole to fill :?

This is why I don't draft till late August :lol:

[Tuna]

You know, I really cant find any reason why this is bad...i mean the dolphins dont have a back now, seeing how i like the jets.... :lol:

Dolphins better hope Travis Minor can step up

[J-Rob7]

You know, I really cant find any reason why this is bad...i mean the dolphins dont have a back now, seeing how i like the jets.... :lol:

Dolphins better hope Travis Minor can step up

Its even better being a Bills fan... HAHAHAHAHA, let the good times roll!

But a former Bill may well fill the void. RB Sammy Morris showed some good ability last season when Henry lost carries due to his stress fracture. His pass-catching ability is questionable, but he could definitely be a solid RB, with Minor in as a 3rd down back (kinda like how it was in 2001 w/ Lamar Smith carrying the load and the Thurmanator taking 3rd down duties now and then).

[REDSFAN2004]

im still baffled as to why he wanted to hang em up but im not a dolphins fan so it doesnt matter to me one way or the other i thought he was a good rb in the league.now he can go on smoking and drinking or whatever it is hes gonna do now.i have a feeling though he might be back in the nfl some day but thats just my opinion.

[The Last Ending]

Man, WTF! This REALLY ****ed me off, REAL ****ing bad. I already had to lose my old fav RB, Smith at the age of 28, now Williams? (Sanders as well). I don't understand, so many great RBs trash their legacy and retire like little b!!tches. F*ck p*ssy azzz Ricky Williams, what a crybaby. "I wanna be free, boo hoo, playing in the NFL is such a pain in the azzz, cry cry cry." Man, get that sh!!t outa here. I had so much respect for him, I thought he was the sh!!t. Now what is he? A p*ssy, straight and simple. 27 years old? He WILL regret this, and when he gets in his early 30s, he'll pull a Robert Smith and write a stupid little book and try to justify what he did, even though deep down inside, he'll know that he made the biggest mistake of his life. So many people would kill to be him or in his situation, and he runs from it to be "free". That's what life is, work. Human beings weren't meant to be free in that sense, maybe before the 1700s, but not now. Now you have to work. But you know what? Football isn't work, it's a game - a sport. The best sport in the world. It is fun. What a let down, I feel bad for Miami, the city and the team. He should have brought this crap up months ago. What a joke, f*ck you, Ricky Williams.

[DolFan34]

Being a die hard Dolphin fan I was very diassapointed in his retirement. Deep down I hope he comes back but I don't think he will.
Best Wishes to him though!

[Cougar Guy]

So many people would kill to be him or in his situation, and he runs from it to be "free". That's what life is, work. Human beings weren't meant to be free in that sense, maybe before the 1700s, but not now. Now you have to work.

I think that is exactly his point . . . he doesn't care if people would kill to be him, nor does he place much value on the type of environment where people would kill to be him (because of the fame, fortune, chance to play in the NFL, etc.). Unless I'm missing something, I'm fairly sure that he has indeed set himself up whereby he doesn't have to "work" for the rest of his life and he can enjoy doing the things that he gets satisfaction from.

I can't fault a human being for putting personal satisfaction and growth over material items and wishes.

As a Dolphin fan this SUCKS big time. As a human being, it's reassuring to know that there are still people around who place such emphasis on their personal convictions. The gravity of what he did is pretty amazing IMHO.

[Nets24]

Let's see my runningback situation now.

In the first League I had:

Ricky Williams
Marshall Faulk

2nd:

Ricky Williams
Stephen Davis

3rd:

Ricky Williams
Kevan Barlow


OUCH. These are all two back leagues. Any suggestions on who is probably a free agent and will do a decent job? In all my leagues I have lame *** McNabb too..trade time.

[BlackBaron0127]

Why is he a lil p*ssy or a b*tch? B/c he realized its just a game? Didnt want to end up some 30-40something yr old dude unable to walk? unable to play with his children and eventually grandchildren b/c of the game?
He realized money aint the only thing in the world. It really isnt. He wanted to grow as a person and find peace, I dont fault him, life changes so fast u dont know how and when to react. I'm sure he has money set up so he doesnt have to worry.

He mentioned getting a post graduate degree thats a good move, he mentioned being a father and while it seems like he is teaching his kids something bad he is doing the opposite. He's teaching them to be free and never allow anyone or anything to control u, enjoy YOUR life, stick to your convictions and follow ur heart.

Thats what a father does he teaches them for life. He isnt teaching them for money and fame those things dont matter even the poorest person in the world can be the happiest and the richest and most popular the saddest. I know it sux for Dolphin fans but what ya'll want? him to play half ***'d out of loyalty to a fickle bunch of fans? Didnt some of ya'll want Marino traded or cut b/c it was time to get a new QB? Dan Freakin Marino and the very same fans wanted a new QB. Ricky was loyal to himself and to his family that is above any team game and above any amount of money.

I can relate to him I gave up my company a few months ago b/c I wasnt feeling it left a 75k a yr job for something I started b/c I just wasnt happy and needed freedom some ppl dont understand it but who cares money isnt everything and I challenge anyone who is so shallow and base to say it is. Look at the big picture in life.

Ricky maybe weird in some eyes but he is a man of his convictions, gotta respect that.

Good for Ricky.

[somatik]

Man, WTF! This REALLY [***] me off, REAL [***] bad. I already had to lose my old fav RB, Smith at the age of 28, now Williams? (Sanders as well). I don't understand, so many great RBs trash their legacy and retire like little b!!tches. F*ck p*ssy azzz Ricky Williams, what a crybaby. "I wanna be free, boo hoo, playing in the NFL is such a pain in the azzz, cry cry cry." Man, get that sh!!t outa here. I had so much respect for him, I thought he was the sh!!t. Now what is he? A p*ssy, straight and simple. 27 years old? He WILL regret this, and when he gets in his early 30s, he'll pull a Robert Smith and write a stupid little book and try to justify what he did, even though deep down inside, he'll know that he made the biggest mistake of his life. So many people would kill to be him or in his situation, and he runs from it to be "free". That's what life is, work. Human beings weren't meant to be free in that sense, maybe before the 1700s, but not now. Now you have to work. But you know what? Football isn't work, it's a game - a sport. The best sport in the world. It is fun. What a let down, I feel bad for Miami, the city and the team. He should have brought this [***] up months ago. What a joke, f*ck you, Ricky Williams.

To sum up:

Wah, wah, I loved Ricky Williams! Wah, wah, his priorities are different than mine! Wah, wah, why can't he make his decisions based on what other people think?!?

And you're calling him a crybaby?

[The Last Ending]

One major reason he quit is so that he could freely smoke weed because he's trying to do the whole jamaican pride type thing, it seems like. He's admitted he refuses to stay clean and nothing can stop him from smoking weed. He failed two or three urine tests, one was actually at the end of last season. Playing football is free, while most of us down in the real world have to do actual work, he got to play a game and get rich from it. I'm so tired of all these morons saying he's a good person for being free and all that other crap - He ran from his career is what he did. You cannot justify "wanting to be free" for quitting something that isn't a real "job" in the first place. To clear **** up, I wasn't a huge fan, I just greatly respected him and thought he greatly rose the reputation of runningbacks.

Wah, wah, I loved Ricky Williams! Wah, wah, his priorities are different than mine! Wah, wah, why can't he make his decisions based on what other people think?!?

And you're calling him a crybaby?

Based on a stupid, no-depth having comment like that, I'm assuming you're either in the middle of puberty or have an IQ of under 25, due to being dropped on your head too many times. Nobody said anything about the fans' priorities, obviously his come first. I just can't respect the fact that smoking weed was so important to him that he would let something like that even slightly impact his decision. He took the dolphin's season and walked away with it to go live in a tin shack with "happy" jamaicans and smoke his favorite leaf. Have you read the article on sportsline? Maybe you should.

[somatik]

Based on a stupid, no-depth having comment like that, I'm assuming you're either in the middle of puberty or have an IQ of under 25, due to being dropped on your head too many times. Nobody said anything about the fans' priorities, obviously his come first. I just can't respect the fact that smoking weed was so important to him that he would let something like that even slightly impact his decision. He took the dolphin's season and walked away with it to go live in a tin shack with "happy" jamaicans and smoke his favorite leaf. Have you read the article on sportsline? Maybe you should.

Honestly, if playing football makes him unhappy, regardless of the reason, why should he keep doing it just so the dolphins might have a decent season? And your post implied that how people think of you, and remember you, is higher up on your priority list than it is on Ricky Williams'. At least, that's what I assumed when you said "I don't understand, so many great RBs trash their legacy and retire...". I know one thing for sure: If being an NFL player involved showing up on Sunday afternoon and playing a game of football everyweek, I'd love to do it. However, since there is so much more to it (as we've all seen in 2k5's weekly prep) I can honestly say that there are many other jobs, including the somewhat boring one I have now, that I'd rather have (all other things [read: money] being equal). As for my previous post, I said exactly what I wanted to say, and got it across in only a couple sentences. If you enjoy reading through paragraphs of expletive filled B.S. in order to glean a few morcels of information, than that's your preference, but I'm afraid that I don't share it.

[Mariners in 2006]

The Dolphins season is already over...

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040725/capt.flwl10107252150.dolphins_williams_flwl101.jpg
Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt pauses before answering a question about running back Ricky Williams during a news conference Sunday, July 25, 2004, at the Dolphins' training facility in Davie, Fla. Williams has decided to retire at the peak of his career, stunning the Dolphins and leaving an enormous void in their backfield less than a week before the start of training camp.

[daviking]

Funny how my Dolphins were supposed to be a 6-10 team the year after Marino and Jimmy Johnson left. Now they are saying the same thing agian. :roll:

[sjla2kology101]

He should of done it sooner. The way he went out right before before training camp is showing complete disrespect towards the dolphins. And its like slap in the face. He screwed them over and thats not right.


anyway If he wants to quite whatever good for him but he should of done it in a respectful way and done it a couple of months ago....................