Ricky Williams Retires!!!

JB · Post by JB » Sat Jul 24, 2004 8:10 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1846012

This is absolutely shocking!

I just drafted him last month in my dynasty league.

What a selfish SOB!!! He wants to go on to "bigger and better things"?? What's bigger than being a stud RB in the NFL???

I would kill to have his talent and play in the best league in the world and he's throwing it away to "travel the world"? Earth to Ricky: It doesn't get any better!! You're not going to find a better place to be than the good ol' USA!

BalticSQ · Post by **BalticSQ** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 1:05 am

I have to agree , as much as it sucks for u and i feel your pain . I think u sound like the selfish one here . and PS: this is why you dont do a serious draft in JUNE anything can happen ,,,,,,,,,Anybuddy that would spend any type of cash other then to mock draft in June is a SUCKER

Superpion · Post by **Superpion** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 3:09 am

Although we all have free will and are therefore entitled to do whatever the heck we want as long as we are prepared for the consequences, Ricky's decision to retire does not sit well with me at all. We, as sports fans, are the backbone of the millions of dollars that professional athletes receive in salary and endorsements. Because this system has been created, there is an unspoken code that the athlete should utilize their talent to its fullest. Talent is a gift and not only is wasted talent a shame but also a violation of the fans misplaced trust. Because most of us don't have those athletic gifts, there is an obligation on the part of the pro athlete to fulfill his potential.

That is just my opinion on the philosophy of the fan/athlete relationship. Another aspect is that he signed his name to a contract with the Miami Dolphins and is failing to live up to the contract. The timing of his announcement is pretty bad, considering that training camp is just getting ready to open, the NFL Draft is well behind us AND veterans Eddie George and Antowain Smith just got taken off the market when they could have at least been utilized as stop gaps. Trung Canidate is still a FA and the Dolphins have Travis Minor but it is plain and simple that Ricky is screwing over his teammates, his fans and the entire Dolphins organization.

He is pursuing his happiness and he is entitled to do so but we are as fans are certainly entitled to point out the wake that he is leaving in his path. There are plenty of other athletes that have not lived up to fans expectations. Whether the big payday made an athlete go soft or if he never had much conviction to begin with or if he made decisions that caused him to receive a conviction of a different kind, the fans have been let down.

It is just a shame b/c he is only 27 years old and was just hitting his prime. Could the next 2-3 years have been the best of his career? Maybe. Maybe not. But Ricky Williams just made a personal choice that will deprive fans of ever finding out.

JB · Post by JB » Sun Jul 25, 2004 11:53 am

First off...I didn't pay anything to be in this dynasty league. It pays out a prize each year if you win it but it doesn't cost a penny.

Secondly...I was a fan of Ricky, so I drafted him...not the other way around! I guess you can call me selfish for wanting to see the BEST players play every week but I think that's my right as a fan.

It's also my right to call Ricky selfish for abandoning his God given talent to go smoke pot with his buddies abroad and discuss the meaning of life. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by BalticSQ:
I have to agree , as much as it sucks for u and i feel your pain . I think u sound like the selfish one here . and PS: this is why you dont do a serious draft in JUNE anything can happen ,,,,,,,,,Anybuddy that would spend any type of cash other then to mock draft in June is a SUCKER

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:39 pm

All I know is I had the 8th pick in the first three of four "expert" leagues I'm in this year and each time I deliberated between Edge and Ricky and took Edge each time. I'm feeling better about that call today that's for sure. I've had bad vibes about Ricky's value for this coming season, but I never expected this. And is it just me or does anyone else get the sense he's retiring so he can go off and smoke dope all day long? He's a rather ... curious ... guy.

Of course, in one of those leagues I drafted Shannon Sharpe right before he retired, so I didn't emerge totally unscathed from some of this interesting off-season movement.

[ July 25, 2004, 06:40 PM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]

johnbriganti · Post by **johnbriganti** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:13 am

A lot will be written about RW right to do what is best for him and I will not disagree that every man has to do what is right for him, but in so doing, and part of being A MAN, is to consider the impact to the people around him - his team. RW could have retired after the season or even a month ago.

Is everyone really buying into "RW is on a journey to find himself". He forgot to drink his masking agent that allowed him to get away with the fact he's a pot head and it was going to cost him 4 games pay, and worse (for him) staying in the substance abuse program for another 3 years.

So being the MAN he is, he takes the millions that football provided him and walks away from his teamates (forget the fans) and impacted them by minimizing their chance at winning a superbowl.

That (to me) is not a man who retired from Football, it's a man who quit!

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:19 am

Personally, I think the guy wants to smoke dope and he realizes if he gets caught again he's looking at a suspension. I honestly believe he believed he had two choices in life: Smoke dope or play football and he chose smoking dope because he was too close to a suspension if he got busted again. I can't prove it, but that's the strong vibe I'm getting reading all the stories so far.