[EnRiCH13]

Updated: May 11, 2007, 12:24 PM ET
Docs recommend delay of Williams' NFL reinstatement
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams tested positive for marijuana in April and will not be allowed to apply for reinstatement to the NFL until September, sources said.

Mort on "The Herd"
Mortensen
Chris Mortensen doesn't see Ricky Williams returning to Miami to play. At one point, Mort says, the Rams had some interest in Williams. Listen Insider

Williams was suspended last year for violation of the substance abuse policy and was eligible to be reinstated this month, but the league's medical advisors that oversee Williams' personal rehabilitation program recently notified commissioner Roger Goodell of the positive test, sources said.

The doctors also recommended that Williams not be allowed to apply for reinstatement until September, sources said. The commissioner usually adheres to the advice of the medical advisors under the substance abuse policy.

"Falling off the wagon is part of rehab," a source said. "Based on the medical evidence in Ricky's case, the doctors say it's too early to come back. He had the positive test last month. Remember, he's been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder -- that's a real disease and a good percentage of those folks self-medicate with substances like marijuana, often at the moment they are about to have a high level of social interaction."

League spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL would have no comment, as did Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene.

David Cornwell, an attorney who has represented Williams during his substance abuse cases, said he would honor the confidentiality policies in effect with another no comment.

Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN.

[SignalZero]

Speechless.

[VilmaBrit]

...you've gotta be kiddin' me...

[S-Dubb]

How does he even get to try and come back after this. Just ban his ass permanently!!

[Smedsthejet]

The word idiot comes to mind immediately.

[#73jetsfan]

How does he even get to try and come back after this. Just ban his ass permanently!!

I agree 100% !!!! Lifetime ban . Done. Never to step foot on a NFL field again. That should include the CFL !

[CrazyHorseDave]

come on ricky for that kinda cash EVEN I could pass one of those tests ..

even if you wanted to CHEAT IT it would cost like 30 bucks to get the pee cleaner

you gotta at least make an effort

JACKASS!

[HurricaneJet32]

I'm one of the few people who actually like Ricky. The poor guy has anxiety disorder and he gets thrust into the spotlight by people who have told him his whole life that this is what he is good at. He's been told this so much he is probably torn...he knows he doesn't want to be in the NFL...but he thinks he has to. I feel for Ricky...it is easy for us to criticize him and it sounds easy to just leave football...but we couldn't understand unless we were in his situation.

I don't think Ricky cares about the cash...he has just been told by too many people what to do he doesn't know what to do now...I wish he would be left alone and be allowed to just enjoy his days in peace.

[Ty Shoes]

Cash is a powerful motivator.
One or two more good seasons and he can retire to his pot farm.

[reg83ny]

What a dummy. Just give up on this fool. The New commish is not playing around. If Henry and Pacman are gone for the year, This clown should be gone for life.

[broadwayChad06]

what a dumb ass!

[JetsMan4012]

DAMN HE LIKES THAT SHIT ALLOT! come on now man, he seriously cant give it up STILL? he threw away his career and millions of dollars to smoke weed

[Ty Shoes]

I was gonna pass that urine test
Then I got high

I was gonna run for glory
Then I got high

Then I got high
Then I got high
Then I got high

[NIGHT STALKER]

Does anyone know the rules regarding banning? It doesn't make sense to me...he was suspended and was eligible for reinstatement in June...now, we find out he was caught again in April and he can already become eligible in September? That's just 3 months for getting caught yet again???

[titmouse]

I'm one of the few people who actually like Ricky. The poor guy has anxiety disorder and he gets thrust into the spotlight by people who have told him his whole life that this is what he is good at. He's been told this so much he is probably torn...he knows he doesn't want to be in the NFL...but he thinks he has to. I feel for Ricky...it is easy for us to criticize him and it sounds easy to just leave football...but we couldn't understand unless we were in his situation.

I don't think Ricky cares about the cash...he has just been told by too many people what to do he doesn't know what to do now...I wish he would be left alone and be allowed to just enjoy his days in peace.

I agree, I never hated the guy, though I am glad he is not coming back to Miami. How many people on this board smoke weed? Is it really that big of a deal? Of course, we do not give up big money to smoke (if we do) so it is a little f'd up. He could have easily been more careful with it but once you get caught you are fucked.

[FlyHiJets]

Need I say more?

[MikeGangGreenFan2]

this guy might just be the biggest dumb ass in the history of sports

[gmany3k]

he is standing up for what he believes so did ALI .
POT IS A NONE ISSUE. AND I DON'T SMOKE IT.
THIS is not about football .
if anyone has some good articles about R williams and his recent past since he left please post it.
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety disorder—also called “social phobia”—is characterized by an intense fear of being scrutinized by other people in social or performance situations and of negative evaluation. People who suffer from this condition literally become “sick with fear” and are afraid of acting in a way that will be embarrassing or humiliating, causing them to completely avoid such situations in the future or endure these “everyday” situations with dread. These situations may include speaking in public, initiating or maintaining a conversation with strangers or people in authority, participating in meetings or classes and attending parties or dating.

Is this common? More common than you might think. Affecting over 10 million Americans, social anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder ranks second). Social anxiety disorder affects up to 13.3 percent of the population at some point during their lifetime.

Social anxiety disorder usually begins during the mid-teens and often becomes progressively worse, frequently resulting in a lifelong condition. Women develop social anxiety disorder at a higher rate than men. Social anxiety disorder, like other mental illnesses, also appears to run in families.

Social anxiety disorder is not just a “mental” problem: common physical symptoms include rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, tense muscles, upset stomach and blushing. In some cases, these symptoms may be severe enough to result in a panic attack.

The exact cause of social anxiety disorder is unknown, although studies suggest that both biological and psychological factors may play a role. There is evidence of serotonergic dysfunction in people who suffer from social anxiety disorder, as in people who suffer from other mood and anxiety disorders.

Click here for more information about social anxiety disorder or other mental health issues.


Created: 2/5/2004 - Donnica Moore, M.D.

[gmany3k]

FootballRicky Williams tests positive for marijuana again
By Harvey Fialkov
Sun-Sentinel.com

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May 11, 2007, 5:39 PM EDT

Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, who was eligible to be reinstated to the NFL last month, tested positive for marijuana in April, according to a source.

Williams was suspended last year for violating the substance-abuse policy for the fourth time. Williams will not be able to apply for reinstatement until September, according to the Associated Press and ESPN.com.

However, by Williams not complying with the requirements for reinstatement during his suspension, it's unlikely that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would grant an application for reinstatement in September.

Neither the league nor the Dolphins would comment.

Williams, who turns 30 on May 21, was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2001, and he has said that he has used marijuana to help overcome the disorder. However, last month Williams told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that yoga had replaced drugs in his life.

"I've been very, very blessed to have found yoga," he said in Grass Valley, Calif., where he teaches yoga at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm. "I've found what I was looking for, and so now there's no need to smoke anymore. I see that I can sit with my legs crossed and my eyes closed for 15 minutes, and I get the same feeling I would get from smoking a joint. ....

"Even if you smoke - you're stressed and then you smoke and relax for a couple of hours, but you have to do it over and over again. Now [with yoga] if I can maintain this and can have it with me all the time, then it's something that's real."

According to a different source, the league's treatment plan for Williams does not address his social anxiety disorder.

David Cornwell, Williams' attorney during his substance-abuse hearings with the league, blamed Williams' apparent relapse on the league and its clinicians for not effectively treating players on a case-to-case basis.

"Ricky's history with Dr. Jethro Toomer, his treating clinician under the NFL drug program, demonstrates that Commissioner Goodell must address the league's inability to treat effectively players who are subject to the NFL drug program."

Williams retired from football in 2004 when facing another failed test, but made a comeback in 2005, rushing for 743 yards and six touchdowns after missing the first four games because of a drug suspension.

Williams played for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League during his yearlong drug suspension in 2006. The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 526 yards and two touchdowns on 109 carries, but missed eight weeks because of a broken forearm and injured Achilles' tendon.

If Williams is suspended for another NFL season he will not have the option of returning to the CFL because of a newly adopted code of conduct policy. The so-called 'Ricky rule' forbids any CFL team from signing a player who's under suspension from the NFL.

"I can also emphatically say there is no plan, even if Ricky became available in some strange way, to have Ricky Williams be part of the Toronto Argonauts for the 2007 season,'' Argonauts President Keith Pelley said Friday. "I've got no regrets about Ricky Williams at all. He was a model citizen here. The only regret is the fact that he didn't run for 2,000 yards and we didn't win a Grey Cup.''

During Williams' premature retirement in 2004, the Dolphins were awarded an $8.6 million judgment against Williams for breach of contract. Williams still owes the Dolphins the money, but the franchise has not moved to collect it. Williams is slated to earn the minimum $710,000 for seventh-year players this season.

On April 18, Williams' agent Leigh Steinberg said the running back had "been passing the tests steadily, and I don't expect any problem." Steinberg has yet to return phone calls.

"I know Ricky wants to play football," Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin told 790-TheTicket (WAXY-AM). "It's a sad situation and I'm praying for him."

Since he was hired in January, Dolphins coach Cam Cameron has refused to say whether Williams would be welcome on the team. General Manager Randy Mueller has also refused comment on the subject until Williams is reinstated.

The Dolphins picked Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker in the third round of last month's draft and have expressed confidence in his ability to back up starting running back Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins also assigned Booker to Williams' old locker.

The Canadian Press and staff Writers Sarah Talalay and Stacy Hicklin contributed to this report.

[ganggreen_ewok]

*beep*reefer got ya hooked *beep* reefer got ya hooked *beep*reefer got ya *beep*reefer got ya *beep* reefer got ya hooked