I'm about to do something that I rarely do and something that I truely hate to do. However, it must be done, in my opinion. The "Sportz Assassin" from AOL's Fanhouse has written an article that anyone could easily write. I say this because it is without any thought behind it. It's simply ranting and raving about Ricky. The article is called "Ricky Williams is Officially a Pot Head."
Like I said, I hate to go after fellow bloggers because it hurts the world of sports blogs as a whole, especially when we are both covering the same team. But this article just goes to show you how an igonrant person can just go and attack a guy without correct facts and without much thought behind his writing.
Point #1: Incorrect facts. He says:
They aren't recommending the NFL "say no" to the reinstatement. They are suggesting the NFL push back the decision until September. Though there's a chance Commissioner Goodell could say "no," it certainly would not make sense for doctors to voice their opinions on whether or not Ricky should be reinstated.
Point #2: Calling Ricky a "pot head." He writes:
He's correct in saying Ricky owes Miami a lot of money. But you can't assume that is the ONLY reason why he wanted to come back and play. But regardless, who the hell is the "Sportz Assassin" to call Ricky a "pot head"? That's what I want to know. None of us have the right to label Ricky anything negative (like a "pot head") because none of us have ever had to walk in his shoes. The "Sportz Assassin" forgets to point out the fact that Ricky suffers from social anxiety disorder, which is a real disorder and one that none of us can begin to understand unless we also have it. And if you remember back when Ricky gave his interview to "60 Minutes," he has said that smoking marijuana has helped him better than any prescribed medicine has ever helped him in dealing with his disorder. So calling somebody a "pot head" without fully understanding why he does what he does is just plain igorant!
Point #3: Ricky doesn't owe us anything. He writes:
This is way out of line. I can't believe the "Sportz Assassin" says Ricky is screwing us! How is he screwing us? Ricky Williams doesn't owe me, you, the "Sportz Assassin", or anyone else ANYTHING!! (With the exception of the money owed to the Fins) But Ricky Williams is not screwing us. He doesn't have to answer to us. More importantly, we should not be holding anything against Ricky because, like I said, we are not owed a damn thing from Ricky! The only people Ricky needs to answer to are his family members, close friends, and most importantly, himself. That's it. Nobody else. Period.
It's clear that either Ricky's heart isn't in football or his social anxiety disorder just won't allow him to have fun in the spotlight that would be on him if he came back to football. And you know what...that's fine with me. If he is happy with his life, who are we to judge him at all.
I, personally, hope that whatever Ricky does with the rest of his life, he's happy doing it. And when we look back on the legacy of Ricky Williams, we can all look back and say that he was one hell of a running back when he was able to play, but wasn't as happy as he could be while playing. Therefore, he chose a different, more simple life. And who are we to judge him?