Ex-Raven Williams mocks drug tests
Former RB says he was tested ‘at least 500’ times, now supports pot industry
NEW YORK — Former running back Ricky Williams says he went through “at least 500” drug tests during his 11-year NFL career.
The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner at Texas and first-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1999 tells Sports Illustrated in a film to be released on SI.com on Wednesday that he “might have the world record for most times drug-tested.”
Williams, who also played for Miami Dolphins and the Ravens, sat out the 2006 season while suspended by the league for violating its substance-abuse policy.
Ricky’s wife, Kristin, outlines in the film how lax NFL testing standards were, including the time a tester left the samples at the Williamses’ house to go get stickers for identifying them.
“He left for 45 minutes and then came back with the stickers he needed,” she says, adding some of the drug testers were “like family.”
In the film, “Ricky Williams Takes the High Road,” Williams also discusses the prevalence of marijuana use in the NFL today and its potential as a medicinal tool.
Williams retired before the 2004 season after failing a drug test for the third time. He returned to the Dolphins in 2005, then sat out 2006 after failing a fourth drug test.
He played four more seasons with the Dolphins and finished his career with one season with the Raven in 2011.
Williams has become an entrepreneur in the marijuana industry and campaigns for its legalization throughout the United States. Ricky Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1998, finished his career with the Ravens.