NFL: Saints to Ricky - Stay out of baseball

By Mike Williams

Early this offseason, rumors began surfacing that Saints running back Ricky Williams was milling a return to baseball. Williams, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers, played during his college days at Texas, but stopped once he was drafted by the Saints two years ago. However, sources had the outfielder returning to baseball when he decided not to attend offseason workouts.

Then the rumors of Coach Jim Haslett being unhappy with Williams surfaced. A few weeks later, the Saints used their first round draft pick (#23 overall) on Mississippi running back Deuce McAllister, which prompted a whirlwind of speculation about Williams’ future with the Saints. While officially sources say that Williams' baseball future remains in limbo, the Saints are hoping their pattern of behavior in the offseason sends a message to Williams. That message… stay out of baseball.

“Ricky is an unbelievable football talent,” said a Saints official, who spoke with Fanstop.com on condition of anonymity. “We just want him completely focused on football. We believe he is at this time, we just don’t want his mind to wonder. You look at guys like Bo Jackson that could have been great football talents and it was ruined because of the two-sport deal. We don’t want the same thing to happen to Ricky.”

Sources state the Saints have not had a direct discussion with Williams about his future in baseball. However, the organization believes that they have made it clear they do not want Williams in baseball with their actions in the offseason. Sources tell us they are more confident they have Williams’ attention now with the drafting of McAllister. They stated to Fanstop.com that they believe with the threat of a great backup, Williams will now focus to make himself better in football only.

Williams carried 248 times for 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns last season, before being hurt against the Carolina Panthers in week 12. The 1999 #5 draft pick has had a history of injuries. He struggled with a sprained ankle during his rookie season that limited him to 10 games. In his first two seasons, he has started only 22 of a possible 34 games. The organization states that baseball certainly wouldn’t help that situation.

The Saints have obviously sent a clear and convincing message when they drafted McAllister… that Williams needs to focus on what is best for the Saints. The question is now is Williams what’s best for the Saints?

Article courtesy of Fanstop.com