I'm envious of Ricky. I wish I was in a similiar postion to be able to quit everything and go out and do what I want to do. Run Ricky Run
Dolphins fans are by far the worst fans with whom I have ever shared a stadium. They possess a mixture of boorishness and ignorance that is, in my experience, unique. (Remember, I have seen many an Astros game a Shea.) This sudden deflation of hopes, crushing of dreams, this theft of expectations - it all couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of monkeys.
Yeah, a mediocre back who led the league in rushing just two seasons ago. maybe he's gonna play baseball.
I feel for teh Dolphins Sucks to be them. If Ricky was going to retire wouldn't it have been better to announce it earlier so they could address the RB position in the draft or free agency. Every man has a right to make choices and I congratulate Ricky for walking away on top, but he left the Dolphins in a very bad situation.
I doubt any sport team in the world deserves something like this maybe i sense a little DOLFIN vs Jetz rivalry here ???
Eddie George Ricky Williams Worst... weekend... ever. I'm at a loss for words. I can't even play NFL2K5 or NCAA 2005 anymore. I need a vacation.
I am a Dolphin fan who has been to quite a few games at Pro Player and the fans (myself included) are great. I take it your a Jets fan? Where did I put that banana
Stand in line pal This was Black Sunday for me and I cannot believe RW did this one week before camp opens. Travis Minor is adequate but he is not RW by any stretch of the imagination, despite what Rick Spielman says. This has been a terrible off-season for Dol-Fans and this only makes it worse. Adversity builds character, so this should make us favorites for the AFC Championship
If Ricky has announced a few days earlier, Eddie George may have been a Fin. Also, Vernon Carey was a good draft pick to block for Ricky but had they known they could have had Stephen Jackson, Kevin Jones or Chris Perry. I'm sort of on the 'admire the guy' side but his timing really screwed the Dolphin franchise and probably sealed the fate of Wannastadt. I'm guessing he anticipated failing his pre-camp tests or just didn't want the anxiety of lying with drug maskers anymore. It's easy to say "well if he wanted to smoke pot he should have just chosen that earlier" but we all know we won't make that kind of decision until the last moment. But China? You can't be buying no boo in China. They will bury you under the jail.
How can anyone say 'good for him'? The guy walked out on his team. He abandoned them despite being under contract. He wrecked the entire season for the Dolphins. Why sign a long-term deal if you aren't going to fulfill it? He let so many people down with this decision -- it was extremely irresponsible. Apparently the league's drug testing policy was putting a damper on his hippie lettuce smoking. Yeah, that's some noble cause to quit on your team. What a flake.
That logic doesn't work in the NFL. Teams can cut a player that is under contract as well. It's a two-way street. Contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on in the NFL.
It's not that simple for a number of reasons. 1) Typically contracts include large signing bonuses which are intended to serve as compensation for [X] years of service. Ricky didn't fulfill [X] years -- he quit. 2)When contracts are voided is when players are not playing at a level to justify their compensation. Clearly that is not the case with Ricky. He is in his prime. 3) At least most teams have the courtesy of cutting a player while giving him enough time to catch on with another team. Ricky quit at perhaps the worst possible time. Heck, if he had done it a couple days ago, they could have gotten Eddie George. Announcing the move on the eve of training camp is just wrong. It leaves the Dolphins high and dry. How can anyone defend this decision? It blows me away. I think his drug use plays a big role in this. He's a known violator of the drug rules and could be subject to random testing. Is he addicted to drugs?
I got up this morning, put on my blue miami dolphins ricky williams jersey, sat down at the computer, and wham.. retired. CRAZY maybe this thing i'm wearing right now is worth more money?
Again, it works both ways. Sports franchises (not just the NFL) are known to manipulate a player's annual salary through tactics as shady and seemingly unethical as Ricky Williams actions. For example, roster bonuses. Several contracts have multimillion dolloar bonuses if a player remains on a roster at a certain date (i.e. June 1). In order to prevent paying the player, he is outright cut and the so-called "contract" is deemed worthless. Even shadier is the manipulation of incentive bonuses. For example, "Sportscenter" stated this week that the Seattle Mariners planned to bench Brett Boone for a portion of the second half of the MLB season, because he was dangerously close to achieving a "games played" multimillion dollar bonus. All I'm saying is you can't get upset at Williams for a breach of contract when sports franchises commit the same crime MUCH more often than players do. (How many Ricky Williams incidents can we cite? Sanders, Smith? How many players have been screwed by teams that cut them in the middle of a contract? Hundreds? Thousands?) As for his obligation to the fans, that is where I'm disappointed with Ricky's "take."
That Texas Longhorn liked college football better than the NFL. He was fantastic in College at Austin.
