Dolphins running back Ricky Williams finding peace
When you think about Mike Ditka, many things come to mind. He seems like the epitome of the hard-nosed, no nonsense, throwback kind of guy who would be the last person on earth to embrace a free-spirited, dreadlocked running back and make him the New Orleans Saints’ #1 pick in the NFL draft in 1999. In fact, Ditka traded all of the Saints’ draft picks in ‘99 as well as the team’s first and third picks in 2000 to get the 5th overall pick with which he selected Williams, who was coming off a Heisman Trophy winning season at the University of Texas.
That was the beginning of a long, strange trip for Williams, who never really lived up to his potential in New Orleans. He was traded to Miami in 2002, and he blossomed, leading the league in rushing with 1,853 yards. That was the highlight of his career, and by 2004 he was in and out of the league due to rather consistently testing positive for marijuana, and he wound up playing in Canada. It made him a laughing stock in some circles, and he lost millions in potential salary, but he continued to work on himself as a person.
He rejoined the Dolphins in 2007, and last year he filled in for injured starter Ronnie Brown and had his second best season ever, gaining over 1,000 yards for the first time since 2002. He was recently married, is practicing yoga, and he is studying to be a medical doctor. It’s nice to hear a good story about an athlete every now and then, and you can read more about Williams and his remarkable path to peace by clicking the link below.