MrRant 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 NEW YORK (AP) -- Ricky Williams wants to rejoin the Miami Dolphins and has asked the NFL how soon he can return, his agent said Tuesday. It's unclear whether Williams must serve a suspension the rest of this season for repeated violations of the league drug program. He has asked the NFL for a hearing to clarify his status, but no date has been set. "Ricky has asked me to explore and to try to facilitate his return," said his agent, Leigh Steinberg. "He has a passion for playing football and is excited about playing." The 2002 NFL rushing champion stunned the Dolphins when he retired just before training camp in late July. Steinberg declined to discuss his client's change of heart, but on Sept. 24, Williams was ordered by an arbitrator to repay more than $8.6 million to the team for breaching his contract. A Dolphins source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the team's understanding is that Williams can't play this year because of his drug-program violations. Steinberg and the Dolphins declined to say whether there have been recent conversations between the two parties. "This is an issue between the player, his representative and the league," Dolphins general manager Rick Spielman said. "Accordingly, we don't have a comment on the matter." Last week, head coach Dave Wannstedt said he hadn't talked to Williams in about a month. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to comment on the situation. Since retiring, Williams has traveled to Asia and Australia, but Steinberg said he's now in the United States. "He's in excellent shape," Steinberg said. "He has been working out regularly and looks great." Williams and the Dolphins traded long distance barbs in the days after he quit. But the Dolphins' 0-4 start -- their worst since 1966 -- would likely make them more inclined to take him back. Williams, 27, has given many reasons for retiring. He expressed a desire to continue smoking marijuana, and he said he was unhappy about his contract, a workload he considered excessive and Miami's new offensive coordinator Chris Foerster. He acknowledged testing positive for marijuana three times. Under league rules, a player in the NFL's drug program faces suspension if he returns in the calendar year after he announces his retirement. If he returns after a year, he faces a lesser suspension. The arbitrator's award of more than $8.6 million to the Dolphins involved bonus money included in Williams' contract, which runs through 2007. After mailing a letter to Williams asking him either to report or pay the money back, the team sought arbitration. The Dolphins may be headed toward their first losing season since 1988. They have scored only two touchdowns in four games without Williams, who rushed for 3,225 in two seasons after being obtained in a trade with New Orleans. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/foot...e.ap/index.html Passion for football my ass... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Yeah like he'll be welcome in that locker room. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Doesn't he get suspended for like a year since he failed a drug test before his retirement? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Passion for football my ass... C'mon, who WOULDN'T want him back............... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Passion for football my ass... Oh, he's got passion all right. Passion for the weed... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cuban Linx 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Four weeks, how does that rank among the shortest retirements ever? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krankor 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 It's surely not a passion for the game. The Miami Dolphins locker room still has got to be pissed at him because of his actions they are probably going to have the worst record in football this season. If I were the Dolphins I wouldn't take him back and attempt to trade him. As long as its not another terrible trade like a 2nd round draft pick for AJ Feeley. You can argue that they should take him back, but why would you want a teammate that was selfish enough to retire because he would have been suspended for a year for smoking weed? Tell it to guys like Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas who are probably highly angry with Ricky. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agent_Bond34 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 This isn't very surprising, at all. 4 weeks in to the season and Ricky wants to come back? What a shocker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerous A 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 It's not surprising after that arbitration ruled he has to pay back $8.6 million signing bonus. Bet he's close to broke and needs the money to continue living his lifestyle. Fuck 'im. He doesn't deserve to come back this year. Maybe next year, but no way for this season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agent_Bond34 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Another thing to think about here. Ricky Williams originally wanted to retire so he could continue smoking marijuana... didn't he say he had two kids and used them in some quote along the lines of "Why would they come after a man with two kids" or something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GreatOne Report post Posted October 6, 2004 It's probably the same 'they' who Mandy Patinkin was rambling on and on about in that episode of Law and Order two years ago that shot Lennon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 An excessive workload...AN EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Sad. I used to be a Williams fan. No more. He must have gotten one heck of a case of the munchies to need the cash so soon... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
therealworldschampion 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Well he's gotta pay for his weed somehow..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crimson Platypus 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 As a longtime Dolphin fan I say fuck that stoned bastard right up the shit slide. He can take his bong and go somewhere else. I don't care if you told me that Miami would win the rest of their games and the Super Bowl if they took him back* I still wouldn't want that low life back on the team. *that may or may not be an exaggeration Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Man in Blak 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 If I were the Dolphins I wouldn't take him back and attempt to trade him. As long as its not another terrible trade like a 2nd round draft pick for AJ Feeley. You can argue that they should take him back, but why would you want a teammate that was selfish enough to retire because he would have been suspended for a year for smoking weed? Why would any other team want to trade for somebody like that? Ricky's contract numbers and his "passion for the game" either kill his value to such a level that the Dolphins won't get any real return out of trading him...or rule him out as a tradeable commodity entirely. His bizarre off-the-field quirks create too much risk for the reward of his talents. The only team that I could see trading for him, if any team at all, would be the Cowboys, who have a huge need at running back and, as an organization, have never been afraid to take "bad boys" under their wing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted October 6, 2004 So I guess what he's trying to do is figure out how long he'll be suspended for. Most likely it'll at least be a year so he's really a write off till mid-way through next year. But how can he have passion when he wants to be paid more to play less? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Four weeks, how does that rank among the shortest retirements ever? I think it's right around Roger Clemens-length... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Personally, and perhaps speaking as a responsible marijuana user myself, I don't care about the fact that he did or does smoke bud. However, what I dislike about him is flaking out on his team all of a sudden, leaving them in shambles for their first 4 games, and now wants to come back all of a sudden. Fuck him, and I sincerely hope he never plays in the NFL again. There are far too many people who would kill for an opportunity that he decided to throw away and now he's begging for forgiveness. Tough shit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krankor 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 If I were the Dolphins I wouldn't take him back and attempt to trade him. As long as its not another terrible trade like a 2nd round draft pick for AJ Feeley. You can argue that they should take him back, but why would you want a teammate that was selfish enough to retire because he would have been suspended for a year for smoking weed? Why would any other team want to trade for somebody like that? Ricky's contract numbers and his "passion for the game" either kill his value to such a level that the Dolphins won't get any real return out of trading him...or rule him out as a tradeable commodity entirely. His bizarre off-the-field quirks create too much risk for the reward of his talents. The only team that I could see trading for him, if any team at all, would be the Cowboys, who have a huge need at running back and, as an organization, have never been afraid to take "bad boys" under their wing. Bad boy image? Oakland is much more of a bad boy team. Always has been. I could see Al Davis taking a nut like Williams way before Bill Parcels would ever put up with Ricky's crap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Shortest retirement? Uhhh, curt Henning losing a retirement match then coming back the next day to work for Russo? I dunno. Probably Clemens is the shortest. It seems to me I read somewhere that because he filed retirement papers Ricky can't technically come back for a full season. Personally I think he'd come play for the Seahawks, because I'm always told how we have the best weed up here in the North West. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Four weeks, how does that rank among the shortest retirements ever? I think he beats out Mick Foley by just a few weeks. Maybe just one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted October 6, 2004 Except that wrestling doesn't count as a sport, since it's choreographed and fixed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaParkaMarka 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2004 He could always play for the BC Lions. Weed is pretty prevalent around Vancouver. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
