Ricky Williams a Changed Man?
Ricky Williams faced criticism for his addiction to smoking pot and his troubles caught up with him when he was eventually suspended from the National Football League (NFL). Unlike many players though who continue to fall off the radar and are forgotten once they pay for their mistakes, Williams has persevered and has kept his career going, and he has taken full advantage of his second chance in the NFL.
"When I was going through all those troubles while I was away from football... Somehow, through all those difficulties I never got down, never got depressed, never was afraid that something bad would happen. I really think when I look back on it, the reason I was able to come through it and land on my feet is because I've always been so generous," said Williams.
His unorthodox journey from Heisman Trophy winner to pot-smoker, to Dolphins deserter, to diagnosed narcissist, to inspiring redemption, was all captured in a documentary series called Run, Ricky, Run.
Williams rediscovered himself when the Miami Dolphins and the NFL gave him a second chance to play pro football, and Williams has not looked back. About a year ago, he revived the Ricky Williams Foundation, which is an organization he founded as a rookie, but closed operations as he didn’t know what to do with it.
"These past 12 months, I've really been thinking about what's important to me," Williams said. "I've found I'm very passionate -- in one form or another -- about alleviating people's suffering, whether it be emotional suffering, physical suffering, mental suffering."
The Ricky Williams Foundation's purpose is to help disadvantaged youth, but has done many other projects recently. He gave away meals at Easter and has held fundraisers to help repair Haiti after the earthquake.
"If I want to continue to have a fortunate and blessed life, I know it's my duty to keep giving," Williams said. "On another level, I sleep better at night. One of my teachers explained it to me: People that don't share a lot, they're inhaling and they're inhaling and they're inhaling. Eventually, you have to exhale."
Williams initially opened the charity for the same reason many players do; because their agents tell them it’s a good idea. Now Williams has shown that he is indeed genuine and is a changed man from who we saw in his first run in the NFL.
Not only has Williams become a better person, but he has returned to the similar form he displayed in his early NFL days as a player.
This past season, Williams showed that at 32 years-old (in 2009), he still has plenty of great football left in him. He rushed for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns; the most he'd scored since 2002, his lone Pro Bowl season. He also set an NFL record by going six years between 1,000-yard campaigns.
"These last two seasons, I've made more money than when I was younger and I was a star," Williams said. "I feel if I want my life to keep going in an upward direction, it's important to find ways to give."
Williams likely still has a lot of steam left as he was able to step away from the physical league of the NFL for two years and in the meantime, he didn’t get too rusty as he played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Williams is also grateful for the money he makes and encourages young players to spend their money wisely and selflessly. He said he’d wish players would give "one-tenth of the money they spend going to clubs and buying bottles and on VIP rooms" to the community instead.
"When you become a professional football player, a lot is asked of you," Williams said. "That's why there's only a thousand of us. Most people couldn't deal with it. The pendulum swings one way, and to find balance, it has to swing as dramatically in the other direction. I was lucky to have that time in the middle of my career to find balance and proceed in a fulfilling way."
At 33 years-old, Williams is still a great football player and his experiences and life-changing habits are an inspiration to all troubled young people that it’s never too late to clean up your act.
The Dolphins want him to remain productive, too. Team VP of football operations Bill Parcells placed a symbolic gallon of gasoline next to the running back’s locker after starter Ronnie Brown suffered a season-ending injury.
"You got enough gas left in your tank?" Williams recalled Parcells asking him. "If not, I put some next to your locker."
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