Looks like we may have seen the last of Ricky Williams on the football field:
Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy for a fourth time and is facing a one-year suspension from the league, Denver television station KDVR reported on Sunday.
The Miami Herald, citing two sources of its own, confirmed the station’s report that Williams has violated the policy, although neither source would say whether Williams had failed a drug test or if he had missed a required test, which also is a violation.
In their Rumor Mill, ProFootballTalk.com reports the violation was indeed a missed test, not a failed one, but adds:
The difference is technical. Either action is a violation of the substance abuse policy, and a violation (for Williams) most likely will trigger a minimum suspension of one year. During the suspension, he still will be expected to submit to testing and other aspects of his treatment plan.
This is a tough one to understand. Why go through the hassle of coming out of retirement, talking to the media about everything, apologizing to your teammates, enduring a four-game suspension, and backing up a rookie, only to space on a drug test (Williams is reportedly in India right now) and earn a year-long ban?
At this point, it’s clear football just isn’t very important to Ricky Williams, which is a shame since he managed to raise his stock significantly last year and was likely on his way to a featured role with someone like Denver. Then again, if Ricky’s not interested in playing football anymore, then this is the perfect excuse to retire for good this time around. Of course, there’s a chance Williams could appeal the suspension since he didn’t actually test positive, but it seems like a one-year suspension is almost inevitable at this point.
