If Ricky Williams were playing in the National Football League today, he probably wouldn’t have been suspended.
But the former Miami Dolphins running back played professionally in an era when marijuana use was frowned upon and severely punished.
Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 season due to a marijuana test, and after another suspension, he retired after the 2004 season. So, he actually ended up missing two entire seasons because of marijuana.
As such, Williams was once considered a problematic athlete. But for Williams, who rushed for more than 10,000 yards in 11 NFL seasons, marijuana is more than just a drug.
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Ricky Williams speaks on stage during the opening day of the second weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 8, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Rick Kahn/Wire Image)
The former running back has since become a huge supporter of both medical and recreational cannabis, and even founded his own marijuana brand, Heisman. The name comes from the Heisman Trophy he won in 1998.
This weekend, Williams will be in Las Vegas for a pre-Super Bowl meet-and-greet with fans, bringing together the worlds of cannabis and the NFL on the league’s biggest stage.
Imagine reading about a cannabis promotion at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas 10 years ago.
But this country has come a long way.
“Every year it gets easier with more support. I feel really lucky to be a part of this movement,” Williams told FOX News Digital in a recent interview.
“It’s a big part of my story, but I’ve been in this industry for about five years so I’ve personally seen the ins and outs and the ups and downs up close. I feel really lucky.” I feel very lucky to be able to do that on the ground floor. ”
Marijuana has been legalized to some degree in all but four states, and fully legalized in half of the country, with Washington and Colorado becoming the first states to approve recreational use of marijuana. This has increased significantly since 2012.
Williams acknowledges that her life could have been very different had the country not adapted.
Miami Dolphins’ No. 34 Ricky Williams carries the ball during a game against the Buffalo Bills on October 20, 2002 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. (Elliott J. Schechter/Getty Images)
“I’d be in trouble. I’d probably be hiding my cannabis use. But as time goes on, people figure things out and thank God they keep growing,” he said. say.
But it’s quite surprising to see how far this country has come when it comes to marijuana. Williams said there were many lives “ruined by the NFL’s drug policy and all the drug testing.”
“In 2004, when I was faced with all the issues surrounding cannabis, it wasn’t conventional wisdom that it was good for you,” Williams says. “It took a lot of advocates, a lot of people, a lot of sacrifices, people putting their lives on the line to get their stories heard. We’re starting to take it for granted, but 20 years ago, the war on drugs was still on the horizon… It’s an interesting subject to see something change dynamically. .”
It’s common for older generations to be jealous of younger generations who have an easier life than they do. It’s the “I went through it, so you should go through it too” syndrome.
But Williams has no envy of today’s athletes who have no problem smoking recreationally.
“We understand how difficult the game is. I’m happy for the players. We deeply understand how difficult it is to be a professional footballer. We want to do something to make their lives a little bit easier. I’m proud of what I was able to do.”
Ricky Williams, No. 34 of the Miami Dolphins, tries to run away from No. 52 Ted Johnson of the New England Patriots on December 29, 2002 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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“People who have it easy look like they’re having fun, but I don’t want to be like that. Because that’s who I am.”
Of course, some may look at Williams and question why he continues to use marijuana, saying he intentionally broke the rules during his playing days.
“Honestly, at that moment, at the time, I had no idea why I was doing this,” he said. But after the NFL sent him to a rehab facility, we found out why.
“And the reason I was doing it was because I was on a path in life where I was supposed to go for money and fame and there was all the pressure there. But it’s because I’m the real person and , had very little to do with what I am.” “I’m really here to do something.” It was like, “You know how I know that’s true? Because that’s exactly what happened.”
That being said, he clearly has no regrets.
Ricky Williams, number 34, of the Miami Dolphins runs with the ball during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 12, 2003 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Sports News, via Getty Images, via Getty Images)
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“It’s hard to have any regrets, because I’m very happy with the current product. Without these past experiences, the current product wouldn’t exist.”
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