Ricky Williams retired yesterday from the NFL after a total of 11 seasons. Here’s a photo of Ricky scoring his first collegiate TD vs. Hawaii on Sept. 2, 1995.

I honestly appreciate Ricky Williams and his outlook towards everything in life. He never wanted to let his talents control him. He understood that at the end of the day football is just a game and he wouldn’t let that hinder is growth as a person. He never wanted to be just a football player. Im all for someone wanting for broaden their horizons and I feel bad that he was criticized for his 1st retirement. of course is was unorthodox but you don’t have the right to objectify someone because they see the world in a different light. Theres always at least 2 ways to think about something, would the dolphins rather have a player not mentally in the game each and every week hindering the team instead of taking himself out of the equation and retiring. It’s a question most young minds fight to find an answer for often in college, changing majors trying to find your way through life. And many artists can attest to that fact as well. Would you want your gifts exploited, would you want something you’ve got the enate ability to do be no longer something you have the joy to do day in and day out. At what point do you the words “if you’re doing something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” come into play.  All Ricky wanted/wants is the freedom to be whoever he wants to be.

This is why I no longer have any qualms with Lebron James.  Lebron nor Ricky said they were going do all the great things they’ve done. They never asked for this, they were both blessed with this life; for a man to succumb to the pressures of the world and only wanted to enjoy and be at peace with themselves, you just cannot blame or be angry with him. Of course it may not be what you want but youre not in the position to make the decisions. At the end of the day these are men, not sovereign, not enigmas, not entities. Athletes, yes but a man nonetheless and it is a mans nature to grow. All Ricky wanted to do was grow.

He is easily one of my favorite athletes because he was much bigger than the sport himself but for the right reasons. The most amazing thing about Ricky was that the only possible way to accurately display and describe his skill set was the create NFL Street, a game that he was on the cover of. He literally was a maelstrom. Id like to even consider him the Mohammed Ali of football, through his transformation of field and his impact on the field. Polarizing, yes but the man produced on the field as well. You hardly see a professional athlete akin to the likes of Williams, his skills were all-pro but his spirit was certainly nothing less than all-world. And that is how i will remember him.

Run Ricky, run.

-bradley ward