July 28, 2004
Ricky Williams Declared Not Dolphin Safe
Although I really don't care about the Dolphins, the recent flap over Ricky Williams leaving right before training camp has generated some interesting commentary. First off, FootballOutsiders predicted that Williams's performance would fall off even more this year due to the enormous number of carries he'd made in previous seasons. King Kaufman called Williams "a punk", then, the next day had some speculation about whether Williams is suffereing from a bipolar disorder. He writes:
Wednesday morning I got this note from a reader who is a pediatrician: "As a medical professional, I am worried about his mental health. We already know about his well-publicized battle with Social Anxiety Disorder. Some of his behavior this week may be giving hints of more sinister forces at play."Referring to Williams' reported whirlwind travels to Japan, California and the East Coast over the last few days, the doctor continues, "This kind of compulsive and haphazard travel could be a sign of mania. Given his past behaviors and flirtations with depression, he may actually be in the throes of bipolar disorder.
But so far, the best comments I've seen are on Uncertain Principles:
If there were a buck to be made from it, the Dolphins would've cut Williams loose without a second's hesitation, and at the first sign of a slip in his abilities, the fans would've turned on him like rabid jackals. He owes these people nothing. The idea that athletic competition is some sort of sacred and inviolable trust has been moribund since about the time they started letting the participants wear clothing, and the modern media-driven sports business has driven a stake through its heart.
When I first heard the news of his retirement, I thought it was selfish. He's essentially left his teammates in the lurch for the entire season since the offense was built around him. However, I was thinking of his job as roughly analogous to any other job. You don't just quit unless something really goes wrong; you give notice, help train your replacement, etc. Professional football is nothing like my job though. It's brutal and demanding, particularly for running backs. I imagine Williams spent a good amount of time trying to make this decision and only came to it shortly before he announced his retirement. If that's the case, well, tough for the Dolphins, but oh well. The only way I'd criticize him at this point would be if he knew he was going to retire months ago and just now decided to say anything. Then he'd be a punk.