King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Ricky Williams retires: A likable iconoclast turns out to be just another me-first athlete after all.
July 26, 2004 | I've always rooted for Ricky Williams, always wanted to like him. From the first moment he came into the national consciousness as a personality, not just a name racking up huge numbers at the University of Texas, it was clear he was different. I like different, especially when it comes to athletes in the major sports. The guys who aren't like all the other guys? Let's just say I like my chances of liking those guys.
Over the weekend Williams, the centerpiece of the Miami Dolphins' offense, leaked news of his retirement to Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald from an airport in Hawaii, then boarded a plane for points undisclosed in Asia with no return ticket and no plans to play again. The Dolphins open training camp Saturday.
What a punk.
"I was never strong enough to not play football, but I'm strong enough now," Williams told Le Batard. "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. I'm finally free. I can't remember ever being this happy."
I can imagine that letting one's narcissism take over completely is a liberating feeling. "Good for me," you can say in the mirror, "I've finally allowed myself to let me be happy, to not worry about what others might think." It's all well and good, except when what those others are thinking is "You let us down, you punk" and -- this part is important right here -- they're right.
I think if Williams really gets into the honest self-exploration he says he plans to do in his world travels, he might find that the most important people in his football life, his teammates and coaches, aren't so much "in denial" as they are pissed off.
Williams has every right to retire even though he's played only five seasons and he might be denying himself a shot at the Hall of Fame or a Super Bowl appearance -- though in both cases that's highly debatable. He doesn't owe anybody the rest of his career, including the Dolphins. NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, and as long as teams feel free to walk away from them, then so should players, morally speaking.
In fact, there's almost no way to look at an NFL running back retiring at any point as anything other than reasonable and sane. These guys take an unbelievable, often crippling beating. Ask 49-year-old Earl Campbell if he should have retired a little sooner. He'll say no because he's a hell of a man, but as you hand him his cane you might disagree.
