Huffing and Puffing But Not from Running

July 29, 2004 12:28 PM

Ricky Quits Football to Smoke Dope
Ricky Williams knew he'd failed a third drug test and retired from football before his coach found out.
Says Ricky, "I didn't quit football because I failed a drug test," he told the Herald. "I failed a drug test because I was ready to quit football."
Williams said he's not addicted to marijuana. And I'm sure he can quit anytime he wants to but maybe he got confused and quit his profession instead of his "hobby"?
Is this the first time a star athlete's quit because he wants to hang out and smoke dope?
posted by fenriq (81 comments total)

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that when he decided to retire, he decided to return to a civilian life and start enjoying life again. I'd probably have done the same thing if I'd been tackled a million times by a line of 300 lb men who wanted to kill me.
posted by rks404 at 12:37 PM on July 29, 2004

This seems a little unfair to Williams. He's obviously had difficulty with the pressure of the NFL along with other personal/social problems. Sounds to me like he just decided he'd rather be happy.
posted by papercake at 12:39 PM on July 29, 2004

Maybe leading and loaded questions dont make for such a great fpp?
posted by skallas at 12:44 PM on July 29, 2004

Just like Barry Sanders (who didn't want to be screwed by management), and Robert Smith (a bright guy who valued his health) before him, Ricky realized that he was rich enough to do whatever the hell he wanted. I commend his devotion to his priorities.

It's pretty asinine that the NFL tests for non-performance-enhancing drugs. Fucking fascists.
posted by trharlan at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2004

i loved dazed and confused!!!
posted by armacy at 12:48 PM on July 29, 2004

If you had an 18 million dollar windfall would you want to come back into work??

Seriously... he has already worked and made his living, why does he have to work anymore? Shouldn't he be free to move on and enjoy his life?
posted by LoopSouth at 12:50 PM on July 29, 2004

SOMEONE DROPPED THE AMERICAN DREAM FOR PERSONAL CONTENTMENT? HOLY FUCK!!! HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING?
posted by Satapher at 12:51 PM on July 29, 2004

dude. don't bogart that roach.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 12:52 PM on July 29, 2004

Hey, I'm not calling foul on it, if I got a monster check like he did, I'd pack it in and then pack a big fat bowl. I'm just amazed that he's publicly admitted it.
posted by fenriq at 12:52 PM on July 29, 2004

If he can play like that on dope, why ban dope smoking?
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:52 PM on July 29, 2004

lots of people wise up and drop out of rat races every day. i'd say he's in a LOT better shape than most of his violence, fame and money-addicted "colleagues". i mean, fuck! the NFL?!?! just because 80% of the male population of america sits on it's fat ass guzzling beer and hooting at the TV every sunday doesn't make it a valid career choice.
posted by quonsar at 12:53 PM on July 29, 2004

Sounds like he's got his priorities in the right order, and he's got the guts to say so, too. Good on him.
posted by vorfeed at 12:57 PM on July 29, 2004

hun,gry freaks daddy!!!
posted by Satapher at 12:58 PM on July 29, 2004

I was gonna go to work, but then I got high
I just got a new promotion, but I got high...
posted by SisterHavana at 1:01 PM on July 29, 2004

Williams, who suffers from social-anxiety disorder and was a former spokesperson for the anti-depressant Paxil, claimed marijuana helped him once he had to stop using Paxil because it didn't agree with his diet. Williams said that marijuana was better for him and did not see anything wrong with the drug since it was "just a plant."

It sounds like he's taking his medical condition into his own hands. Good for him.
posted by homunculus at 1:03 PM on July 29, 2004

I'll bet he's calling Domino's right now.
posted by dhoyt at 1:03 PM on July 29, 2004

hun,gry freaks daddy!!!

Satapher, you bastard, now that's going to be stuck in my head for the next three days...
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 1:04 PM on July 29, 2004

Good for him. Although you could make the argument that he should have timed the announcement so that his teammates (I could care less about management and "the fans," most of whom are cheering for the uniform and not the person wearing it) weren't left in the lurch. But it looks like the positive test forced his hand. His website was fairly interesting; a surprisingly candid look into life within the world of pro sports. I wish him well, and hope to God he never comes back, because he's truly beaten the system.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:08 PM on July 29, 2004

He should come back to Austin. I'm pretty sure the people here still love him.
posted by beth at 1:10 PM on July 29, 2004

beth - he'll be greeted as true son of the city for this!
posted by rks404 at 1:13 PM on July 29, 2004

perhaps he shouldn't abandon the world of sports, just switch to a better environment? I'm pretty sure that the Ultimate Frisbee League in Austin doesn't do any drug testing and I'm sure that he can learn the game, given enough time.
posted by rks404 at 1:18 PM on July 29, 2004

no doubt, beth. people here do still love him. i like him better now that he's cut his hair and i don't have to have people call me ricky williams anymore (not that they ever should have, since he's a couple inches taller and nearly 100 pounds heavier than i am!)

anybody have any idea how much he earned extra clean and other detox products-makers by announcing that football players regulalry use their products to beat drug tests?
posted by lord_wolf at 1:19 PM on July 29, 2004

lol, I thought this was a post about Trailer Park Boys!
posted by freakystyley at 1:24 PM on July 29, 2004

Williams said he's not addicted to marijuana.

are we still in the 1940's?
posted by badstone at 1:26 PM on July 29, 2004

i plan to quit my job, smoke "dope" and keep a bonzai garden. this guy is a few steps ahead of me. good on him.

(i thought 'dope' was white and powdery stuff?)
posted by Tryptophan-5ht at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2004

WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL IT DOPE
posted by solistrato at 1:53 PM on July 29, 2004

are we still in the 1940's?

Um, yes.
posted by ulotrichous at 1:54 PM on July 29, 2004

Maybe leading and loaded questions dont make for such a great fpp?

seriously. you sound like a sanctimonious prick. you sure as hell can't equate "Williams said the drug was a bigger reason for his retirement than he initially indicated" with "Ricky Quits Football to Smoke Dope."

perhaps it was a principled stance against unnecessary drug testing (ok, doubtful, since he's already been tested several times). i'm clean right now, but i'd quit my job (perhaps depending on financial circumstances ...) rather than submit to a drug test. never done it, never will.

he was gonna smoke weed no matter if he played or not. it sounds like this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"so ... you wan't me to carry the ball 300 times a year, and when i wake up Monday morning feeling like shit, i can't even smoke a bowl? fuck this."

btw, i think people *can* become addicted to marijuana, though the addiction rate for users is around 8% (that's from memory - i couldn't find a good source). unfortunately, b/c kids who get busted for possession are often sentenced to mandatory rehabilitation, those numbers (unfairly) pump up the addiction percentage (see ulotrichous' link). that, and the fact that it's the most difficult drug to acquire for research purposes make our knowledge of marijuana addiction sketchy at best.

on preview: "[marijuana] may pose a greater threat than cocaine or even heroin because so many more people use it" !!! goddamn i gotta get out of this country. how many kids who get busted for underage drinking are sentenced to detox?
posted by mrgrimm at 1:58 PM on July 29, 2004

Wow, check the URL on ulotrichous's link: "reefer.madness.reut"?
posted by gleuschk at 2:11 PM on July 29, 2004

Do you know anything about Ricky Williams? He's had a need for Paxil over the last two years for intense social anxiety disorder and apparently it's wreaked havoc on his system, including his digestive system. He's decided-- and I don't fault him for this at all-- that marijuana cures the extreme anxieties that urged him to take Paxil to begin with, and in a much more pleasant manner.

Props to Ricky Williams for deciding to live his own life. Even if I am a Dolphins fan.
posted by xmutex at 2:13 PM on July 29, 2004

nobody on this planet needs Paxil -- how many thousands of years of human history have people gotten on without Paxil?

Social anxiety disorder is what happens when you realize that people are assholes and small talk is manipulation.

Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride, you will not die, its not poison.
posted by Satapher at 2:17 PM on July 29, 2004

"the most difficult drug to acquire for research purposes"

It is not that NIDA is evil. The real problem is that the scientists kept calling for more pot on a weekly basis, up to the point where the scientific requests exceeded the total amount of marijuana apprehended by police nationwide. Besides, the scientists involved in such projects stopped publishing anything but bad poetry and a significant number of them dropped medical research and applied for transfers to arts and humanities programs. A number of them also moved to California. At a certain point the NIDA chief felt he had to act.
posted by nkyad at 2:21 PM on July 29, 2004

I'd quit to if I'd made millions upon millions of dollars and then my bosses (the league), who had probably made even more money off of me than I made off of them, had the gall to fine me $700,000 USD for smoking dope. It also says he used a "cleansing agent" to get it out of his system before, but this time he decided he didn't want to.

Combined with its inappropriately harsh drug penalties--which I believe have to do with the racial undertones of american sporting culture, particularly in the southern U.S. (all black athletes are thugs but damn can they run!--and their attempts to take all celebrations out of the game, it's getting kinda lame.
posted by The God Complex at 2:27 PM on July 29, 2004

thanks for the other perspective, nkyad. (despite that sly slur against California ...)

got a link? or is this first-hand knowledge?
posted by mrgrimm at 2:29 PM on July 29, 2004

Has this SERIOUSLY fucked up anyone else's Fantasy League plans??
posted by ChasFile at 2:29 PM on July 29, 2004

Satapher> people are assholes and small talk is manipulation.

preaching to the choir Satapher. preaching to the choir.
posted by snarfodox at 2:29 PM on July 29, 2004

not unless you already had your draft. mine's not for a few weeks still.

also, if you had looked at other running backs who carried as much as Williams did the past two years, you'd realize that nobody can keep that up. i forget who said it, and i'm too lazy to look, but it's something like this "there are three options for a RB with Williams's workload: he gets hurt; his production drops off considerably; he's Eric Dickerson."
posted by mrgrimm at 2:32 PM on July 29, 2004

Satapher substitute "Paxil" for any drug in the last hundred years. Need is a subjective term. I believe quality of life is equal to or even greater than living itself. But I digress.

I wonder how many "successful" people use marijuana. How many executives go home and smoke a bowl at night? Marijuana in that respect is much like drinking, at least in my mind. Countless people come home and have a beer or whatever with dinner. Sure they might be sort of buzzed, they might look forward to those two beers for dinner, but is it wrong? Same with smoking pot. I don't know why the popular perception is of people always tripping out when they smoke pot. Plus pot like, cures everything I heard.
posted by geoff. at 2:33 PM on July 29, 2004

he'll be greeted as true son of the city for this!

As well he should be. :)
posted by dejah420 at 2:33 PM on July 29, 2004

geoff, only out in California where we've got medical marijuana. Or has it finally started spreading to other states as well?

And I'd not even considered the Fantasy Football angle, that bastard!

I don't blame the guy for giving it up, he's made his wad of cash and he's not crippled, good for him.

I wonder how much the Dolphins are going to demand he give them back?
posted by fenriq at 2:42 PM on July 29, 2004

I wonder how many "successful" people use marijuana.

define "successful."

pot like, cures everything I heard

it cured my asthma (imo).

I wonder how much the Dolphins are going to demand he give them back?

say what now? he's not going to get paid for this season, is he?
posted by mrgrimm at 2:48 PM on July 29, 2004

Williams, who suffers from social-anxiety disorder and was a former spokesperson for the anti-depressant Paxil, claimed marijuana helped him once he had to stop using Paxil because it didn't agree with his diet. Williams said that marijuana was better for him and did not see anything wrong with the drug since it was "just a plant."

You know, I was on Paxil for seven months and I agree totally. Paxil fucked me up. Marijuana worked wonders. Viva psychotropics!
posted by nath at 2:57 PM on July 29, 2004

I'd say Ricky's pretty damned successful these days, at least by his definition. He got rich playing a game for a while, seems he got out with sanity and body largely intact, and at 27 he can do whatever he damned well pleases for the rest of his life.

Someone just won at the game of life here.
posted by chicobangs at 2:59 PM on July 29, 2004

had the gall to fine me $700,000 USD for smoking dope

i've never understood why they will fine a player ridiculous amounts for smoking pot and make him miss games...

...but if a player uses his wife or girlfriend as a punching bag or sexually assaults a woman, he's back on the field or court right away with no league imposed fine?
posted by lord_wolf at 3:11 PM on July 29, 2004

i forget who said it, and i'm too lazy to look, but it's something like this "there are three options for a RB with Williams's workload: he gets hurt; his production drops off considerably; he's Eric Dickerson."

These guys.

To clarify a little on my earlier comment-- I found Paxil cured my anxiety, if by "cured" you mean "made me not give a shit about other people's feelings or anything in my own life". Pot relaxes me and also helps me think in more abstract ways I wouldn't have considered otherwise.

I also feel like taking LSD once did more to cure any mental disorders I had than all the years of therapy and medication I had tried before.

But legalizing them would be a detriment to the powers that be, so...
posted by nath at 3:19 PM on July 29, 2004

lord_wolf> i've never understood why they will fine a player ridiculous amounts for smoking pot and make him miss games ... but if a player uses his wife or girlfriend as a punching bag or sexually assaults a woman, he's back on the field or court right away with no league imposed fine?

Satapher> people are assholes

lord_wolf, you've got to start paying more attention to Satapher.
posted by snarfodox at 3:24 PM on July 29, 2004

lord_wolf, because using drugs might affect his ability to stomp on the other guy, beating his wife or girlfriend helps him keep his anger up and that's good for the team.

Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

And yeah, its pretty ridiculous.
posted by fenriq at 3:47 PM on July 29, 2004

snarfodox, true. true.

fenriq, i love the fact that the same sportscasters and sports-journalists who have essentially no comment when an athlete hits a woman are going to be (and have been) dismissive, snarkalicious, and condescending when discussing williams' actions.

run, ricky, run!!
posted by lord_wolf at 3:55 PM on July 29, 2004

For as much as people bitch about athletes who are only in it for the money, I'm surprised more people aren't celebrating him for being exactly the opposite.

The only problem I have with this it the timing. He's screwing his teammates pretty badly, but otherwise it's his life and he's more than welcome to do with it as he pleases.
posted by whoshotwho at 3:55 PM on July 29, 2004

I also feel like taking LSD once did more to cure any mental disorders I had than all the years of therapy and medication I had tried before.

So, a double bourbon and a six-pack does more for any anxieties I feel than any therapy. But I don't see anyone arguing in favor of perpetual drunkenness.
posted by jonmc at 3:57 PM on July 29, 2004

I wonder how many "successful" people use marijuana.

how many executives does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

success, by monetary standards, is empty and has little to do with real people. everyone seems to keep on breathing. everyone seems to keep on smiling.

trash the far and few between mastabatory success stories and replace them with the realities you can actually see.
posted by Satapher at 4:19 PM on July 29, 2004

I also feel like taking LSD once did more to cure any mental disorders I had than all the years of therapy and medication I had tried before.

So, a double bourbon and a six-pack does more for any anxieties I feel than any therapy. But I don't see anyone arguing in favor of perpetual drunkenness.

Something easing your anxiety is quite a bit different than something curing your life-long mental disorders, don't you think Jon?

It almost seems like you would think that all chemicals that don't come in a little brown plastic bottle with child-proof lids have no medical/psychological value at all.
posted by Espoo2 at 4:30 PM on July 29, 2004

Espoo2, I know that they have psychological value, even if it's only helping people relax a bit, but let's not pretend that's the whole story.
posted by jonmc at 4:33 PM on July 29, 2004

But I don't see anyone arguing in favor of perpetual drunkenness.

I'll take that action.

*Slams empty PBR can into forehead*
posted by elwoodwiles at 5:10 PM on July 29, 2004

let's not pretend that's the whole story.

that's right on
posted by Satapher at 5:34 PM on July 29, 2004

Strange ...the google cache mentions details about possibly paying back the signing bonus but msnbc article doesn't.

Ricky Williams could be forced to give back the Miami Dolphins more than $8 million already paid to him because he retired before the expiration of his contract.

Because of penalty clauses included when Williams’ contract was reworked two years ago, the team could try to recoup $5.3 million in incentive money, said sources familiar with the terms who requested anonymity. The Dolphins also could seek $3.3 million of the $8.8 million signing bonus Williams received when he joined the New Orleans Saints in 1999, the sources said.
posted by srboisvert at 6:19 PM on July 29, 2004

Waaaay late to the thread here, but I'm really curious about some of the attitudes. Is the life of an NFL player something particularly horrible? I see lots of "got out of the rat race" and "he gets to retire, lucky bastard" type comments. I don't know much about pro football culture, but it seems like in the other sports I'm familiar with, it's not ALL about the salary. Lots of athletes play cause it's fun and they like their teams, right? I mean, I've seen injured basketball players cry while watching pick-up games they can't join . . . . Won't Williams miss it? Or is it really just a job at that level?
posted by synapse at 6:34 PM on July 29, 2004

Ricky, come on home to Austin. We can burn some incense and talk about books! We still love you baby.

He left at a bad time and the team may try to recoup some of their money, so he may not end up in great financial shape. this leaves his teammates and more importantly, his fans, unable to celebrate his retirement - but I'm not surprised he quit.

When I was in college I was taking Anaprox for my lady-time pains and it really started to irritate my stomach. I found that the sweet smoke of a few cool bowls made me feel happy and pain free. Now I cook with it more than smoking it - I even made some wonderful vinaigrette with some dried out shake that gave the nicest buzz with pasta salads. It’s great on greasy pizza and cooked with butter, garlic and mushrooms over linguini. Forget the brownies – try it with pesto!
posted by supershauna at 6:35 PM on July 29, 2004

jonmc, have you ever tried LSD? i don't mean that in a negative way (as if you're not cool if you haven't), but to compare it to alcohol, pot, etc. is wayyy off base.

i'll admit i've taken it on three occasions, not just once, but i concur wholeheartedly with nath.

it is really hard to explain without writing way too much, but it's a very powerful experience, especially if you can figure out the right dosage (it helps to have someone experienced with you). fwiw, i highly recommend it to anyone with no history of mental dysfunction. for me, i'd say about once every ten years is good, though since i'm older now, i doubt i'll ever do it again.

it's nothing like perpetual drunkenness. it's a shortcut (as opposed to starving yourself for weeks or meditating for days on end) to all the parts of your brain you've never been able to access.

its psychiatric potential is also worth investigating further.

honestly, if i knew anyone personally who was about to go on Paxil, Prozac, Effexor (isn't that California Rocket Fuel?) or any of those powerful, powerful drugs that don't require just one dose, but a lifetime of doses, i would definitely advise them to take an acid trip first. it can resolve a lot of issues. i never thought i would be able to think differently than i have ever since i was 4 or 5, but that's what it does. i've said way too much. just my 2c.

sorry for the rant. i hope the rocket fuel reference (well i'd never heard it b4) made it worth it. heh. i can hear my next door neighbors trashing Ricky Williams right now: "Can you imagine walking away from all that money just to smoke dope?" i've got a question for them: "Can you fucking learn to turn off the TV (blasting VH1, of all the ungodly things) before you pass out drunk?"
posted by mrgrimm at 6:41 PM on July 29, 2004

Somewhat germane to the discussion: Former Dallas Cowboy and five-time Pro-Bowler Mark Stepnoski came out to the Dallas Observer about a year and a half ago about how he perpetually smoked pot during the NFL season, quitting 4-6 weeks before he knew he'd be tested. After retirement, he got active in the TX chapter of NORML.
posted by Ufez Jones at 6:44 PM on July 29, 2004

jonmc, have you ever tried LSD? i don't mean that in a negative way (as if you're not cool if you haven't), but to compare it to alcohol, pot, etc. is wayyy off base.

Yeah, acouple of times. Given all the hype about it I've heard over the years I was prepared to see God, or at least Jim Morrison or something, but I got some groovey visual disitortions and tactile freakiness. Not altogether a bad thing, but not the be-all & end-all I'd been hyped. Of course, I'd also drank a lotta beer and Bacardi and smoked a lotta pot that night. Then we went to Rocky Horror on 53rd street. and some dude in leather chaps said "You look pretty fucked up," as he watched me swill rum. "Yeeeeah..." I said and detailed my chemical intake for the night.

Then he flipped out a badge and my eyes went wide and my sphincter started loosening. Then he said "Relax, I'm just a probation officer and if I was gonna strictly enforce the law, I'd have to arrest everyone here," and me him and some other dude exchanged dirty jokes until the movie started.

So maybe circumstances had something to do with it, or maybe my deep brain is as tragicomic as the rest of my brain.
posted by jonmc at 6:48 PM on July 29, 2004

We also went to laser floyd at the hayden during my trip, I hate being cliched, but there ya go. And this was all courtesy of two chicks and one of their boyfreinds I met at a pizza stand.
posted by jonmc at 6:50 PM on July 29, 2004

Is the life of an NFL player something particularly horrible?

i'm too lazy to do the research, but i'm pretty sure that pro football players have an much lower life expectancy, not to mention really bad knees. i'm not sure if quitting now will help him much, but it can't hurt.

these folks only give the job of "professional athlete" a 3.08/5 rating.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:51 PM on July 29, 2004

So maybe circumstances had something to do with it, or maybe my deep brain is as tragicomic as the rest of my brain.

i'll vote for the latter ;) (tho the alcohol was a big mistake in my opinion. when i get really drunk, i can't even walk straight, let alone explore the hinterlands of my brain's landscape.)

i'd say it was worth it for the story alone.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:55 PM on July 29, 2004

Well, I was 19. Planning was not yet in my mental playbook. :)
posted by jonmc at 7:00 PM on July 29, 2004

Then he flipped out a badge and my eyes went wide and my sphincter started loosening. Then he said "Relax, I'm just a probation officer..."

What a dick!
posted by trharlan at 7:03 PM on July 29, 2004

mrgrimm - I realize I may be belaboring the point, but my question really is : won't he miss it? There are a lot of professions that lower your life expectancy that people still want to do, for motivations other than money. Several comments have made it sound like Williams was escaping a miserable job. Although I suppose it was for him, if he had these problems.

I'm really curious given my personal experience. A number of orthopedic disasters killed my ability to play most sports, and I was never that good anyway. But I still miss getting my ass kicked on the field.
posted by synapse at 7:03 PM on July 29, 2004

Social anxiety disorder is what happens when you realize that people are assholes and small talk is manipulation.

Satapher used to piss me off, but this is pure comedy gold.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:12 PM on July 29, 2004

I realize I may be belaboring the point, but my question really is : won't he miss it?

yes, of course he'll miss it. he probably won't for a few years, but when you've been doing something day in and day out for 20 years or so, how can you not miss it?

from what i understand about Ricky Williams, however, all he ever wanted do was play college football, and he became the best running back of all time.

i miss getting my ass kicked on the soccer field as well (actually i don't cuz i still play rec), but i think it's a little different when you've already accomplished so much, and it's darn unlikely that you'll accomplish much more (especially with Jay Fiedler at QB).
posted by mrgrimm at 7:24 PM on July 29, 2004

Social anxiety and being a star sportsman wouldn't be the most pleasant combination I'd imagine. A point I haven't seen made though is that marijuana is often named as a cause of anxiety, while others seem to use it to curb their anxiety! Personally, I don't think those are mutually exclusive propositions, but I think it does show there's a level of complexity we're missing...
posted by Onanist at 9:35 PM on July 29, 2004

$18 million! He'll be in premium chronic for life!
Seriously, I know nothing about sport and don't really care, but it's not like they are flying 777s every day. If they are going to test them for marijuana, then they should test them for alcohol consumption. If they are punished for pot, they should be punished for beer. And from an economic perspective, getting loaded on booze weakens their "investment" more than getting stoned.
posted by sixdifferentways at 10:40 PM on July 29, 2004

If at first you don't succeed, drink some beer and smoke some weed.
posted by BirdD0g at 9:21 AM on July 30, 2004

New flash - Head lines sell, not the truth.
The saying "Team" sports has not "I" in it for individual - why play if you’re going through the motions.
Maybe the one not disappointed in his departure should be the headline news spokesman - Mack Brown.

Officials at Texas anticipate that Williams will return to Austin to earn his degree in education and pursue work with children. While contemplating retirement, he talked with Longhorns coach Mack Brown.
''When he asked me how I would feel about his decision, I told him I would like him even if he had never played football,'' Brown said. ''Giving up something that you love to do is never an easy choice, and I respect Ricky for the thought that he has put into this. This is something he has considered for a long time.''

Odd he wore dreadlocks when we knew he toked out.
posted by thomcatspike at 2:09 PM on July 30, 2004

then they should test them for alcohol consumption
They do, several Cowboys players were suspended for this alone, which means they drank a lot before game time.

Did you know most professional Canadian & USA hockey players would fail the drug test in European leagues. also during the Winter Olympics these countries worry about a possible drug test failure. There is a banned substance found in some Over-the-Counter Sudafed/cold medicines sold in the USA.
posted by thomcatspike at 2:15 PM on July 30, 2004

I'm that banned substance, in fact!

*preens*
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 2:29 PM on July 30, 2004

Hey, didn't you cost that poor Romanian gymnast her gold medal in the last olympics? You cad!
posted by homunculus at 2:48 PM on July 30, 2004

the question isn't why williams failed a drug test for cannabis but why is cannabis illegal? ALL arguments against legalization are weak and fail in the face of logic and reality.
i applaud ricky, why get fucked with constantly(drug testing, drug rehabilitation, which in the case of cannabis is a pig's tit) went you don't have to. most of you have to put up with the same b___s__ under the guise of employment(the taking of body fluids to prove your innocence). they f___
test burger flippers! not to mention the waste of time of drug testing, just think if lennon/mccartney were drug tested and hounded out of the music business.
posted by joemeek at 6:29 PM on July 30, 2004

Dude, if it was legal, we'd all just sit at home and get high, man. It'd be wicked cool.

Also, Ricky is NOT the best RB of all time. He had a couple of good seasons, and one great one. That does not make him the best ever.
posted by graventy at 7:22 PM on July 30, 2004

i'll clarify: best college running back of all time (i thought that was understood). who was better?

personally, i think Barry Sanders was the best ever. but the record books will say Ricky.
posted by mrgrimm at 12:36 PM on July 31, 2004

just think if lennon/mccartney were drug tested and hounded out of the music business.

As a non-fan that would be *signal interrupted*...
posted by thirteen at 4:00 PM on July 31, 2004

So, a double bourbon and a six-pack does more for any anxieties I feel than any therapy. But I don't see anyone arguing in favor of perpetual drunkenness.

I never argued in favor of perpetual tripping. Or perpetually being high.
posted by nath at 2:19 PM on August 2, 2004