At last night's South Florida premiere of his new documentary, Run Ricky Run, the Dolphins running back told a crowd of family, friends, fans, teammates, and coaches that he is "reconsidering" his decision to retire at the end of the 2010 season.
"My coach and general manager are here, so I can't really say," Williams told the audience in a brief question and answer session after the screening, "but I'm definitely reconsidering."
Williams, who stunned the NFL with an early retirement in 2004, said at the beginning of last season that he intended to play for two more years. That's when he signed a two-year contract extension worth a little more than $4 million. He has made it clear he intends to attend medical school after his time in the NFL, and wants to become a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
"I can't wait to see you be a doctor," Drew Rosenhaus, Williams' agent, said in an introduction.
The audience included Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano; Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland; teammates Channing Crowder, Ronnie Brown, and Patrick Cobbs; the newest New York Giant, Deerfield Beach product Jason Pierre-Paul; and Dan LeBatard (and his family).
After Rosenhaus' animated introduction, a quiet, reserved Williams told the crowd that was "Drew being Drew."
The documentary, a beautifully told account of what happened after Williams first retired directed by Sean Pamphilon and Royce Toni, debutes on ESPN tonight at 8 p.m. as part of the network's "30 for 30" series.
Williams told me he has no regrets about making a documentary about his life, which includes a lot of material he calls "very raw." He also said he almost never wonders what his life would be life had things gone differently when he was young. "I would have been really bored," he said. "If I was working in an office somewhere, it might have been a lot worse."
