Report: Ricky Williams To Retire
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Legendary former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has decided to call it a career after playing 11 seasons in the National Football League, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter.
Williams spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens where he ran the ball 108 times for 444 yards and two touchdowns. But before that, Williams played for the Miami Dolphins from 2002-2010.
His career started out with a bang when former New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka traded his entire draft to acquire Williams.
The Heisman Trophy winner's mercurial personality was later displayed that year when he appeared on a magazine cover with Ditka with Ricky dressed in a wedding gown.
During his stint with the Dolphins, he was most well-known for retiring on the team before the 2004 season in order to pursue other things including holistic medicine and possibly marijuana usage. But his retirement lasted just one year before he came back to the Dolphins.
Williams finished 2005 with 743 rushing yards, but failed a drug test and was suspended for the entire 2006 season.
He instead went to the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts and played for a season with them.
He was reinstated for the 2007 season, but lasted just one regular season game before going down to an injury.
He would then come back for a solid 2008 season as part of a running back tandem with Ronnie Brown.
In 2009, Williams once again became a workhorse running back for the Dolphins and responded by running for more than 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Williams also added 35 catches for 264 yards and two touchdowns while Brown was out on injured reserve.
Williams' production diminished in 2010 and he was not re-signed by the Dolphins following the season.
He was signed by the Ravens for the 2011 season and the team made it deep into the playoffs before losing to eventual AFC Champion New England Patriots.
Ricky ran the ball 775 times in 2002-2003 for 3,225 yards, but his overuse by then Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt may have played a small part in his problems from 2005-2008.
During his time in Miami, Williams rushed for 6,436 yards and 48 touchdowns. For his career, Williams finished with 10,009 rushing yards, 66 touchdowns, 2606 receiving yards and 8 receiving touchdowns.
Williams tweeted this out shortly after the news broke: "Thank you all, but this ain't it, I'm gonna do something really special, "Be you and change the world"
