If there's one thing that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has been, it's unconventional. He lived on a beach in Australia, played football in Toronto in part so he could do a side job as a yoga instructor, appeared on a magazine cover in a dress, and boasted of the benefits of smoking pot.
And now, as he has one foot out of Sun Life Stadium, Ricky went after Tony Sparano, saying the Dolphins coach has lost the support of the players.
"Tony goes through a lot of effort to show us the things it takes to win football games," Williams said last night to WQAM-560's Sid Rosenberg. "Not turning the ball over, converting third downs, scoring in the Red Zone. He spends a lot of time saying, 'If you do these things, you win.' And sometimes I feel personally that he does a little bit too much. My personal opinion is if you have the right attitude that you guys
are going to win, then all that other stuff takes care of itself."
Add
criticizing his coach to the long list of things Williams has done
that go against the very fabric of professional football.
Williams may be an oddity in the world of professional sports, where athletes are
expected to repeat tired mantras about teamwork when asked questions
from reporters. But he's also refreshingly real -- a guy who has refused
to conform to an NFL stereotype and deny himself the things that make
him weird Ricky Williams.
Take the pot smoking. Williams
admitted early in his time with the Dolphins to being diagnosed with a
social anxiety disorder, which attributed to his shy demeanor in the
locker room. He briefly served as a spokesman for the drug Paxil. But
when asked if pot or Paxil is better, he had a quick answer:
"Marijuana is ten times better for me than Paxil."
Truth is, he's
right. Paxil has a list of side effects that'll fill one of those
pamphlets they stuff into the prescription box. It causes birth defects
in pregnant women and increases suicidal tendencies of teens. Worse,
it's maker, GlaxoSmithKline, has been accused of mixing up pills,
meaning takers of Paxil may be getting double doses or some other drug
entirely.
Pot? Side effects include increased appetite and
propensity to watch cartoons. Here's a drug that helps cancer victims
gain weight and glaucoma sufferers see again and yet is just a few
dollars per toke. What pot needs is more athletes like Williams. Because
let's be honest: He's one of many pro athletes who smoke the stuff, yet
he's one of the few with the balls to come out and admit it.
