Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams Jr.is a retired American football running back who played twelve seasons in the National Football Leagueand one season in the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Heisman Trophy. Williams was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth21 May 1977
CitySan Diego, CA
CountryUnited States of America
What's fun is how laid-back everything is. It's always great to get in the end zone, but it's especially great to do it against the best players in the world with millions of people watching.
Once we get through the mental part and get on the field, it will be fun. We don't have any Monday night or Sunday night games this year, so it's a chance to take advantage of the national attention and make a name for ourselves.
I got high, and forgot I wasn't supposed to get high.
I led the NFL in attempts the past two years and they really didn’t go out and get a quarterback to help me so I knew it’s going to be all on me again. I could see my mortality as a football player, that I’m not going to be able to do this much longer. It just became obvious to me that playing football for me is not going to be fun, not something I’m going to enjoy and it’s time for me to do something different.
The NFL has been an amazing page in this chapter of my life. I pray that all successive adventures offer me the same potential for growth, success and most importantly fun.
One of the biggest things I've done is learn how to love myself, flaws and all. Even the things I don't like about myself, I accept. People have made fun of me and made me self-conscious about talking so softly, for example, but I accept that as who I am and I'm not changing it for anybody. I'm at peace with who I am now, and once you've achieved that, all the other stuff disappears.
As an athlete, you figure you work your whole life to have what you have, and to be able to show the world what you have and how proud you are of it, that's always fun.
I loved playing football, but the reasons I loved football were just to feed my ego. And any time you feed your ego, it's a one-way street. There were so many things I had to deal with that erased the positives I got from playing the game that it wasn't worth it. It's like eating a Big Mac and drinking a Diet Coke.
I like Ronnie. I like him a lot.
The biggest thing is I'm going to a place where we're going to win right away, and I'm going to be a part of that. That's all you can really ask for.
The best way I can think to put it is that I'm back here to work,
The biggest plus for me is I'm coming into a situation where they already have a good team. They're just adding a good player. I'm going to be surrounded with talent. I'm not going to feel like it's my job to win games. I just have to do my part.
It's no less than it's ever been. What's in your heart, that doesn't change.
I'm disappointed with the decision but I respect it. I'm proud of my association with the National Football League and look forward to returning to the Dolphins in 2007.