Crappy football news I just happened to stumble on. It sucks that He's gone, he is/was one of my favorite 'backs.
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Ricky Williams tells Dolphins he's retiring
NFL.com wire reports
MIAMI (July 25, 2004) -- Ricky Williams has decided to retire at the peak of his career, stunning the Miami Dolphins and leaving them with an enormous void in their backfield one week before the start of training camp.
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The 27-year-old Williams, who rushed for 3,225 yards in two seasons with the Dolphins, told them this week of his decision before leaving town, a team source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
His retirement after just five NFL seasons caught the Dolphins by surprise. The news was first reported by The Miami Herald.
"You can't understand how free I feel," Williams told the Herald in a cell phone interview July 24 before boarding a plane in Hawaii and heading to Asia to begin several months of travel.
Long ambivalent about life in the sports spotlight, Williams said there's no chance he'll change his mind, and he plans to file his retirement papers with the NFL on July 26 or 27. He told coach Dave Wannstedt of his decision July 23 and said Wannstedt tried to persuade him to reconsider.
Miami opens camp July 30.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy at Texas in 1998, and former New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka used all of his draft picks to acquire the standout running back the following spring. Williams played three seasons for New Orleans but didn't blossom until he was dealt in 2002 for two first-round draft picks to the Dolphins.
It was the team's biggest trade since 1970, and at times it looked like a steal. Williams led the NFL in 2002 with 1,853 yards rushing and broke nine team records. Last season he ran for 1,372 yards despite little offensive support.
"I'd love to talk to him and try to talk him out of it," Ditka said from Chicago. "It seems kind of foolish to me, but I don't know what's on his mind. You're just destroying a great career. He's a talent. To let that all go to waste doesn't make a lot of sense."
In some ways Williams' decision to retire in his prime was not a surprise because he was never the stereotypical football player. His passions include shopping and photography, and in 2001 he was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, a condition contributing to his extreme shyness. While with the Saints, he often conducted interviews while wearing his helmet. He said he felt like a weirdo in New Orleans but professed to be happy during his two seasons with Miami.
A vacation this offseason to Australia may have whetted his appetite for more travel. He returned from that trip sporting a shaved head instead of his distinctive dreadlocks.
He's not the first running back to retire at or near his peak. His friend Jim Brown quit at 30, Barry Sanders retired at 31 and Robert Smith quit at 28.
But his decision was deflating for South Florida sports fans, who had been buzzing about the Miami Heat's acquisition last week of Shaquille O'Neal.
The decision by Williams, who was to make about $3.5 million this season, is the latest setback in an abysmal offseason for the Dolphins. It started with a strange organizational reshuffling that included the hiring of former quarterback Dan Marino as vice president. He resigned 22 days later.
The Dolphins promoted running backs coach Joel Collier to offensive coordinator, but he later returned to his old job, citing health reasons. Tight end Randy McMichael was arrested following a domestic dispute, and Pro Bowl linebacker Zach Thomas underwent knee surgery that will force him to miss part of the exhibition season.
And now, due to the timing of Williams' retirement, the Dolphins head into training camp with few options for filling the position. Eddie George, who might have been a possibility, signed with the Dallas Cowboys this week.
For the moment the job belongs to fourth-year backup Travis Minor, who has yet to start an NFL game.
Wannstedt was out of town July 25 and not immediately available for comment. Phone messages left with Dolphins general manager Rick Spielman and Williams' agent, Leigh Steinberg, weren't returned.
John Bianco, assistant director for media relations at Texas, said Williams told him a few weeks ago he expected to make this season his last. Bianco said he anticipates that Williams will return to Texas to earn his degree in education and pursue work with children.
"He's always known his best years would come after football," Bianco said. "Football was a small part of his life."
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Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
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