Dolphins Are Stunned by Retirement

Ricky Williams, the Miami Dolphin running back once so uncomfortable around people that he refused to take off his helmet for interviews, now has removed it for good.

And yet again, he has left even those people closest to him scratching their heads.

Williams, 27, is retiring at the peak of his career, leaving the stunned Dolphins scrambling to shore up their backfield less than a week before the beginning of training camp.

“I was completely surprised,” Dolphin Coach Dave Wannstedt said Sunday, telling reporters Williams phoned him from Hawaii to inform him of the decision before heading to Tokyo. “My main thought process was to try to get Ricky to come back here, sit down, talk about some things and see if we can get this thing back on track. He obviously chose to go another direction.”

Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner, played three seasons for New Orleans but didn’t truly find success until the Saints traded him to Miami in 2002 in exchange for two first-round draft picks. Before the trade, he was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and began treatment for that. His mood brightened, as did his numbers. He rushed for 3,225 yards in two seasons with the Dolphins and, by all accounts, was a happy man. Fans wore his jersey -- his was the eighth-best seller in the league this off-season, according to NFLShop.com -- and honored him by wearing caps with dreadlocks dangling out the back.

Williams told the Miami Herald that he planned to file retirement papers with the league today or Tuesday.

“You can’t understand how free I feel,” he told the Herald, which first reported the story Sunday.

Three South Florida newspapers reported in May that Williams had tested positive for marijuana and faced losing at least $650,000 for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy for a second time since joining the Dolphins. Williams said the marijuana tests he failed had a minor influence on his decision, and were only one of many factors.

Wannstedt said he was especially stunned Friday when he learned of the decision because Williams seemed so devoted to football this off-season. Williams was due to make at least $3.6 million this season and, with incentives, could have made as much as $6 million.

“The thing that surprised me was because he was out here,” Wannstedt said. “Would you come out here and run wind sprints in 90-degree temperatures? That was the biggest part when I said, ‘Hey, Rick, let’s slow down and think about this.’ It was based on what I saw since the end of the season.”

Williams made one very obvious change after last season, however. He returned from an Australian vacation without his famous dreadlocks. He decided to go completely bald, and reportedly passed on a $750,000 offer from Gillette advertisers who wanted to capture the moment.

Now the Dolphins must address a gaping hole in their offense, a vacancy that won’t be easy to fill. Rick Spielman, the team’s general manager, said the Dolphins will “look at guys already on the street” and don’t have to be in a hurry at the moment. Williams’ backup, Travis Minor, gained 193 yards last season, his third with the team.

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Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ricky Williams’ career stats

*--* RUSHING RECEIVING Year Team G Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD 1999 New Orleans 12 253 884 3.5 2 28 172 6.1 0 2000 New Orleans 10 248 1,000 4.0 8 44 409 9.3 1 2001 New Orleans 16 313 1,245 4.0 6 60 511 8.5 1 2002 Miami 16 383 1,853 4.8 16 47 363 7.7 1 2003 Miami 16 392 1,372 3.5 9 50 351 7.0 1 Totals 70 1,589 6,354 4.0 41 229 1,806 7.9 4

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