They say that once a running back turns 30, his success in the NFL is all but over. Try telling that to Ricky Williams. During the past few years, Williams has transformed his life and resurrected his career with the Dolphins.
After shockingly retiring from football prior to the 2004 season, Williams took a hit in the court of public opinion. His social anxiety, marijuana use and financial troubles will forever make him a degenerate in some eyes, but his spiritual journey can inspire others.
During his time away from football, Williams traveled extensively to find his purpose in life. He even lived in a tent in Australia for $7 a day as part of his personal discovery.
"In my tent," Williams told 60 Minutes in 2005, "I had about 30 books, and every morning, I'd wake up about five in the morning, and I'd take my flashlight, and I'd read for a couple of hours …everything from nutrition to Buddhism to Jesus, to try to figure out, you know, what am I? What am I? So I just kept reading and reading. And couldn't figure out what I was, but I learned a lot."
Eventually, Williams found his way through Hinduism and Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medicinal practice. He became a certified yoga instructor, a vegetarian and massage therapist. He even has a scholarship in his name to the Accupuncture and Massage College in Miami.
His newfound holistic approach to life has freed him from the anxiety that plagued his early years, and his new diet and exercise practices have transformed him from an injury-prone player to a healthy warrior. In fact, his younger counterpart in the Dolphins’ backfield, Ronnie Brown, has had his own injury problems, which allowed Williams to flourish as the featured back last season. Williams ran for over 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns at the ripe age of 32, and looks to continue his success this season.
The only running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards at the age of 33 (Williams’ current age) are the legendary Franco Harris and John Riggins, so if Williams can repeat his success from last year, he would put himself in extraordinary company.
Perhaps this season will be the real litmus test for how well his transformed mind can carry his legs, but his increased presence in the locker room, and his comfort with the person he has become indicate that he will at least be a positive contributor to the Dolphins this season.
Plus, Williams seems to be playing with nothing to lose — he doesn’t seem overly interested in money (at least not more than the average person, considering he didn’t accept any profits on his documentary, Run, Ricky Run), and the lessons he has learned from Hinduism have taught him to be ego-less, which he has demonstrated by sharing the ball with Brown without complaint. As a result, Williams should be able to thrive in an offense where he doesn’t have to shine.
The fact that Williams is even relevant in 2010 shows that there are second chances in both sports and in life. When Williams first came to the Dolphins, he wrote an article with Dan LeBetard for ESPN The Magazine.
“This is the ultimate team game, but I make everyone else on my team better by making myself better,” Williams explained at the time.
Now that Williams has made himself better as a person, he might be able to help his teammates and get the Dolphins back to winning.
