About a week ago I wrote about Ricky Williams being the number one dope smoking athlete and criticized him for quitting football to take bingers and play Madden. Last night I found out that I couldn’t have been more wrong. I, like so many in the sports world thought Ricky was selfish and lazy and just loved getting high. Last night was the premier of the documentary Run Ricky Run which was part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series. For those who have not heard of the 30 in 30 are really missing out. Movies have explored topics like Reggie Miller vs. Spike Lee, the “U” (U of Miami Football team) and people like Wayne Gretzky, Jimmy The Greek and Len Bias.
-The Old Man
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Anyway, back to Ricky. It turns out Ricky truly loved football and wanted to be the greatest but had some seriously f-ed up issues mentally. Sexually abused by his father as a child and having to be responsible for his twin and younger sister at age six, he clearly got off on the wrong foot. After being a star at the University of Texas, he was drafted 5th overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. Plagued by injuries, he sat out almost half of the games in his first two seasons and was traded to the Dolphins, soon there after his positive marijuana tests began and so did the hatred.
Many sportswriters began speculating that he could care less about sports and more about getting high but it turned out this was the only way he could cope with what would later be diagnosed as clinical depression and social anxiety order. Ricky told his therapist he only felt safe sitting alone in the dark of his own home. While no one realized what was going on in his head they focused on his three kids with three women and refusal to quit or apologize for smoking weed.
As the documentary continued to show, Ricky was confused and insecure and wanted nothing more than to figure out who he was and what was important. He moved to Australia and lived in a tent, leaving his friends and family behind, claiming that money and football were unnecessary and not important to his happiness.
In 2004 Williams was offered a contract with the Dolphins to return as long as he sat out four games for his positive tests, instead he decided to study holistic medicine at the California College of Ayurveda. We all know about his eventual return to back up Ronnie Brown and then his move to Canada to play for the Toronto Argonauts. In 2007 Ricky finally returned to Miami and has been playing well ever since. He cleaned up his life and is now focused on football and being the best. He married his life partner who he had previously had a kid with and cut off when he moved to Australia.
While his story and feelings are hard to depict on paper, the interviews with him in the movie really make you feel for the guy. He talks how he could have just played football and been miserable but instead he journeyed to a dark place where he critically analyzed himself until he found out who he was and what was important to him. While his story is a unique one and at some points depressing, everyone can learn from his personal journey and self-evaluation. He doesn’t care about money or being the best, he just cared about finding happiness.
Also make sure to check out the next few 30 for 30 which I will do a write up on. They include topics like Mat Hoffman which is produced by Johnny Knoxville, N.W.A. and their impact on the Oakland Raiders directed by Ice Cube and The 16th man, the true story behind Invictus, produced by Morgan Freeman.
