'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ricky Williams’s NFL career is a prime example of what could have been. The former Heisman Trophy winner had a prolific college football resume and entered the league with high expectations.
Mike Ditka famously traded away all of the New Orleans Saints’ draft picks to move up and take Williams with the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.
Although Williams had early success in the NFL, his career leveled out towards the end after being traded to the Miami Dolphins. The NFL also suspended him for four games for testing positive for marijuana. Instead of serving his suspension, Williams shocked the football world by retiring. Although he returned later on, he was never the same player.
In a recent interview with USA Today, Williams disclosed how a former NFL veteran gave him advice on how to sustain his career in the league.
“My rookie year, a Hall of Fame player on the team, he’s in the Hall of Fame now, invited me over to his house and he gave me the speech about how to take care of yourself in the NFL."
The Hall of Famer in question proceeded to show Williams one way to do it.
"And he pulled out some cannabis, crushed it up, split a blunt, opened it up, put the cannabis in there, took a Vicodin, crushed it up, sprinkled the Vico in there, rolled up the blunt and passed it to me. That was a vet, teaching me as a rookie, how to take care of myself in the NFL.”
A look at Ricky Williams' NFL career
Ricky Williams played for three NFL teams in his 11-year career. He found most of his success early on with the Saints and the Dolphins, and ended his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2011.
Over that span, Williams ran for 10,009 total yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and scoring 66 rushing touchdowns.
Ricky Williams was also a capable pass-catching running back as he averaged 7.6 yards per reception and totalled 2,606 yards in the air. He holds the Dolphins' franchise records for most rushing yards in a season with 1,853 (2002) and most rushing touchdowns in a season with 16 (2002).
