Subject: Ricky Williams Meditates Comeback
Content: Ricky Williams, who wants to return the NFL this season after a year's suspension, has sent a letter to the NFL Commissioner asking for reinstatement. Williams, 30, the former Saints running back and No. 1 draft choice, was interviewed by Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio the past Friday. He said he has turned to yoga and no longer uses marijuana. Patrick asked Williams what it took to get reinstated. "You send in a hand written letter to the commissioner asking for reinstatement and then I have to be clinically evaluated and I guess they look at everything and make a decision," said Williams. Patrick asked the football player when was the last time he had been tested. "The last time I was tested was two minutes ago," replied Williams. "I'm sure I passed." Patrick asked Williams how long it had been since he was high. "It's been maybe three years," said Williams who played in the Canadian Football League last season until a broken arm sidelined for half the season. The sportscaster asked Williams if he thought marijuana was bad for him. "I think it's bad for you if you use it too much," replied Williams. "At one point, I was probably smoking too much. To fail a drug test and be suspended, I think the normal person would say that's too much." Patrick asked Williams if he was self-medicating to overcome stress problems. "Most definitely." answered Williams. "I think that's what is usually missed in the whole process when drugs come up because drugs are so taboo. Yes. I was self-medicating for stress. I think everyone has different things that they value. For football players some people value name, fame, some people value money, some people value other things, and for me I value those things to a certain extent, but I think the thing that I value the most in life is just peace of mind and the ability to be able to relax and professional sports are extremely stressful. When the stress level got really high for me the only thing that I could really find, that really helped, was to go home, just relax on the couch and then toot up a joint and take a couple of puffs. And for me I don't think it was recreational, I wasn't really trying to get high really, I was just trying to come down, just trying to relax a little." Patrick asked Williams if he wasn't paying football would he be getting high. "No," replied the football player. "It comes back to asking why are you doing this. I have a lot of time to ask myself why are you doing this. I was very fortunate when I retired a couple of years ago and left the country. I went to travel, you could say to find myself. I was on a soul-searching journey. And what I found was yoga, and I don't mean the exercise part of yoga. I mean the spiritual practice part of it. And through these practices you know meditation and etc. I found a way to relax without having to use anything and even more so to nip in the bud the things that cause stress to me. Because I have a spiritual practice now I don't have as much stress one and two when the stress comes I have better ways to deal with it." Patrick asked Williams if he was concerned about talent-wise and health-wise would he be concerned about getting back to play with the rigors pf the NFL. "I'm not too concerned about it," answered Williams. "I mean the life that I lead now is very rigorous. It's not physically rigorous, but it's very mentally rigorous. so I'm preparing myself." Patrick asked Williams what he meant by mentally rigorous. "You could basically say I live in a monastery," said Williams. "Something very similar is called an ashram. And every day we get up early in the morning and we meditate and I teach a lot. It's a lot like living in a small community and everyone has a job to do. We don't have many distractions and we come face to face with ourselves on a daily basis." Patrick asked Williams why he didn't he just stay in that world. ""Because when things are comfortable it's easy for you to be happy. But for me, it's a test to see if all this work I have done is really worth something. And, if I can go into the NFL and have success both on a physical and mental level you know that will speak a lot for yoga and what I have learned and will offer a lot of people who have dealt with the same issues I have, have a way out." Williams was asked what caused the stress in the NFL that couldn't handle without drugs. "I think the physical pain and having to play through the pain is probably the most stressful. In the situation I was in, we had a decent offense, we had a great defense, but our coach (Nick Saban) was predominately a defensive coach and every time we had the ball it seemed that it was an interception or something really bad happened and so what our offense just turned into was give the ball to Ricky and play defense. And to me that wasn't really football. But at the same time I had a lot of respect for the coach and so I didn't say anything." Patrick asked Williams how much he owed the Dolphins. "You have to ask them,." replied Williams. "It's a lot, but I don't know how much." Patrick asked Williams if that motivates him to want to come back and play for the Dolphins. "I'm not really motivated by money either way as far as making or losing money," answered Williams. "I guess I have a connection or feel I have a connection to something higher and I know that because I'm a generous person and I'm always giving that I'll always be provided for." Patrick asked Williams what would he do if he was reinstated, but the Dolphins didn't want him. "If that happens, they'll send me somewhere else," answered Williams." I'm fine with whatever happens, After the past couple of years, I've been through really high highs and really low lows." Nobody asked me, but: Former Grambling quarterback Doug Williams is on tour promoting his new book "Third and a Mile" The Trials and Triumphs of the Black Quarterback." Williams, who succeed Eddie Robinson as Grambling coach, said of his coach: "I'm so glad he passed this way and where he is now. he's a gatekeeper."...Britney Spears was sighted at a Lakers game wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey. If Britney is interested in Kobe, this can only lead to one thing: An even bigger ring for Vanessa Bryant.
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