Ricky Williams has found his calling in marijuana.
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It's the only thing he's ever been able to fully commit to in his 39 years of life. A staunch proponent of the legalization of the substance that ultimately led to the end of his football career, Williams' pious pursuit of paradise in pot has often come at the expense of his family.
A recent Sports Illustrated documentary titled "Ricky Williams Takes the High Road" chronicles Williams' journey from the time he started smoking during his second season in the NFL to now as he vies to become a pioneer in the push for the use of medical marijuana in the NFL and a mogul in the pot industry. In it, Williams' wife, Kristin, describes her husband as an often absent father and enigmatic spouse.
"He doesn't have an attachment to material things," said Kristin of Ricky, who lost an estimated $5 million to $10 million in earnings as a result of failed drug tests during his playing days. "But he also doesn't have an attachment to people, you know? Whether it's me or his mom, his sisters, the kids. A lot of times, our kids don't even notice that he's gone, which is not necessarily good or bad, but that's really how it is."
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Kristin is being far too kind. It's terrible.
Williams' struggles to take care of his responsibilities as a man say more about him than they do about weed. Sure, there are probably thousands upon thousands of people who can manage moderate marijuana usage, love, marriage and parenthood, but he's obviously not one of them. He appears to be an addict. It's time he admits it and gets some real help because his actions are adversely impacting those who need him most.
To Ricky's credit, he let Kristin know what kind of guy he was almost out the gate. He told her most of his friends are women, that he loved to travel and that he'd never want to travel with her on their second date, she said. That's cold, but if that's the type of person she wants to be involved with, she's free to do so.
To his discredit, she didn't even know he smoked until she was pregnant with their son Prince. Their kids didn't ask to be here, and their parents, beginning with Ricky, owe them so much more.
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A wise man knows his limitations. Ricky clearly doesn't.
Instead of eliminating anything that might hinder his ability to lead and guide the people under his immediate care, Williams has embraced mediocrity as a father, all the while labeling himself a "rebel" and a "visionary" as he travels the globe, attending conferences such as Spannabis in Barcelona where he explores the various usages of marijuana with adoring weedheads, who can't wait to spark a spliff with a Heisman Trophy winner, first-round draft pick and NFL rushing leader.
"Kids are understanding," Williams said. "They don't understand social conventions as much as adults do, so they tend to not hold me to the same standards as much as other people do."
That's just weak. The problem is his children won't always be so naive. They're going to grow up, and at some point they will recognize the disservice he has done them. Let's hope he sees it first.
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Williams is a product of a broken home. He was born to teenage parents. His parents divorced when he was 5 or 6 and his father left soon after, leaving him to be the man of the house and take care of his sisters when his mother was gone. Having suffered through his own daddy issues, it's hard to see why he'd want to replicate similar issues in the lives of his own offspring.
"Ricky is most attached to freedom," Kristin said.
For some reason, he always thinks he's going to find it after the last hit of a joint.