NY Times Article On Ricky 7/11

[James Pruitt]

Got to register but its free.

 

[Mile High Fin]

What's the gist of it???

 

[James Pruitt]

Same stuff but a nice quote:
Those close to Williams say there's a light in his eyes that they have not seen in years.

 

[Cannonboy]

Sweet, maybe the fins our starting to get some breaks and ricky will tear up the nfl.

 

[Mike13]

Same stuff but a nice quote:
Those close to Williams say there's a light in his eyes that they have not seen in years.

Are the words pupils and dilated in that article?

 

[MDFINFAN]

Got to register but its free.

Some key highlights:

Williams, who is now back in South Florida, is circumspect. "Hindsight is 20/20," he wrote in an e-mail message from Boston on June 18, "so how can I know what is at the heart of my comeback?"

His agent, Leigh Steinberg, said that Williams "has always loved playing football, but clearly there is a financial factor here." Steinberg added, "It obviously falls into the mix."

In February, a federal judge upheld an arbitrator's ruling that ordered Williams to repay the Dolphins $8.6 million of his signing bonus.

But even before that ruling, Williams said he began to have second thoughts. Less than two months after retiring, Williams's gaze fell on a Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Oakland Raiders telecast while he was relaxing in Thailand. Williams cut short his vacation, returned to Los Angeles and announced to Steinberg that he missed playing football.

The conversation quickly moved from longing to logistics, with Steinberg reminding Williams that he faced a four-game suspension for failing an N.F.L. drug test for marijuana shortly before his retirement. He would also be subject to a one-year suspension if he attempted to return less than a year after signing his retirement papers, because his departure would then be counted as another failed drug test, his fourth.

If those were the terms, Williams decided football could wait. "I don't think Ricky Williams ever lost his passion for football," Steinberg said in a telephone interview. "What he lost for a while is a belief that he could fit within the N.F.L. system, within its rule structure. There's a duality to Ricky, the hard-nosed, passionate, tough-nosed football player co-existing with a sensitive searcher for higher meaning and truth."

The man who has traveled the globe in search of enlightenment has designated his own world largely off limits to the public. The Internet is Williams's preferred mode of communication, allowing him to interact with people at a safe distance and on his own terms. "I feel no need and have no desire to give any attention to other people's opinion of me," Williams wrote on June 21. "I do not need to defend myself, as I have done nothing wrong. I don't care what people think about me because I know I am more than all the pain and strife they hold inside."

 

[VManis]

This is just proaganda by his agent to make Ricky look better

But even before that ruling, Williams said he began to have second thoughts. Less than two months after retiring, Williams's gaze fell on a Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Oakland Raiders telecast while he was relaxing in Thailand. Williams cut short his vacation, returned to Los Angeles and announced to Steinberg that he missed playing football.

The conversation quickly moved from longing to logistics, with Steinberg

The Raider-Bucs game was in late September. If Ricky really had a change of heart after watching that game and returned to have Steinberg start the logistics of his unretirement why did he tell Mike Wallace in the 60 minutes interview (which was tapped in Dec) that he wasn't sure if he would ever play again? Or why did he reject the NFL's offer to start the drug program early and avoid a suspension? This is just BS from his agent to make it look like Ricky is not only returning for the money.

 

[gravyfries]

go to bugmenot.com and enter the url for the new york times if you guys want to read it...

 

[ChambersNBoston]

Same stuff but a nice quote:
Those close to Williams say there's a light in his eyes that they have not seen in years.

uh..maybe cause its not dialated and cloudy wen hes on the stuff

 

[enigmatics]

"I do not need to defend myself, as I have done nothing wrong. I don't care what people think about me because I know I am more than all the pain and strife they hold inside."

............... see this is what irks me about him. In some ways, no, he did what was best for him. And yet his decision was one that wasn't completely free of responsibility. He has yet to admit to the timing of his decision. Until he does, I'm never going to consider supporting the man because it's like he's learned absolutely nothing from the incident. I doubt the man is going to do very much, if anything, to patch up some hard feelings you know darn well exists between him and his former teammates, fans, and organizational people. He's just going to waltz in and expect to be accepted back with open arms because of..............because of............. because of........... hmmmmmm.......... winning? Or because they know he's got a major arbitration ruling hanging in the balance?