The Ricky Williams Effect

Ricky Williams' career will go down as one of the most controversial of all-time, but it's not his fault.

Back in 1999 the New Orleans Saints took Ricky Williams with the 5th pick in the NFL draft. But instead of becoming the greatest, he became as useful as the Odyssey to a man who cannot read, yet it was not his fault at all.

Let's get some things straight, Ricky Williams was not a bust. Over 9 years in the NFL he rushed for more than 10,000 yards and was an All-Pro in 2002. While those stats shouldn't blow anyone away, it at least removes him from the likes of Ryan Leaf, Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis. Williams had a sufficient career in the NFL, so this argument has nothing to do with how he performed or underperformed for that matter. It's simply about a guy who just wasn't meant for the NFL.

Ricky Williams didn't love to play football, he liked to play it. With that being said, the NFL is too violent and committed of a sport to have any players halfheartedly touch the football. Williams played because he was good, because people thought he was good, because it was the most viable career path for him. But I'm not completely sure there was ever a season when his multiple anxiety disorders didn't severely affect him. You could point to 2002 as the only year that Ricky Williams played like Ricky Williams should have played, as a power back with surprising speed and attacking running style. Instead he drifted through foggy roller coasters seasons in which great season would turn mediocre in a blink of the eye. 

The NFL game was simply too much for Ricky. Media members hounded him on countless occasions when he refused to interview with his helmet off. Eventually he stopped playing in 2004 to get his life together, or as many of us saw it, to feed his marijuana habit. Either way, by the time he returned from his "early" retirement, Williams legacy had been dashed forever. Even in 2009 when he seemingly got his career on track with his first 1,000 yard season since '03, people could not respect this man who gave up all the luxuries of the NFL to inhale narcotics.

But Ricky Williams' career is much more than that. He's just a macrocosm of a desire issue in sports. Some people play the game because they are good, not because they love it. That usually pushes them into a negative public limelight, when they might not deserve it. In the case of Ricky, he didn't deserve it. However, in the case of Albert Haynesworth? He warrants all the criticism in the world. Anyways, Ricky and many other athletes who suffer from physiological disorders are simply not made out for the high pressure world of American professional sports. All Ricky wanted to do was have a content life with himself and the small contingency of people he called "friends and family." He was good at football so he played it. I'm sure he enjoyed it, but not as much as guys like Ray Lewis or Hines Ward, who put every ounce of passion they have into playing ball. Ricky is probably the most famous case of a player who was gifted enough to play football at a high level, but didn't have the mental capacity to handle the pressures of the game.

So for all of you out there that don't like Ricky Williams and think he was lazy and undeserving of all the NFL opportunities he was given, relax. The guy rushed for 10,000 yards without the psychological  capacity to do so. Honestly, I think the fact Ricky had such a solid career is a pure miracle. For all the negativity he received after his first retirement, it's impressive to have seen him comeback and finish his career with 10,000 plus yards. So instead of bickering about how much of bust Williams was, let him head off in the sunset in whatever fashion he pleases. He didn't fade so embarrassingly as Ryan Leaf, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco did, so just do us all a favor and let him be.

If you haven't seen the 30 for 30 on Ricky Williams, it will probably change your attitude about him. Pure gold.