Hey, it's Ricky's life

While talking over Ricky Williams' rather odd and quite sudden exit from the National Football League with my father on Monday, a day after the news had gone public and a day that marked the opening of the media chatter over television and air waves, I must say that I had a change of heart.

When I first saw the ESPN ticker reveal the knowledge that Miami's superstar running back had retired while I was watching the baseball Hall of Fame inductions, I thought to myself what a crime Williams had just committed against his teammates and Dolphin fans.

I mean seriously, one week before the start of training camp this guy decides to phone his coach with the bad news, and from a few thousand miles away while on vacation at that?

My first thought was that Williams had just let down more people than he could know with his seemingly selfish and abrupt decision.

But, alas, my opinion was changed on the matter with a few simple words issued from my father, Patrick.

"It is his life," Mr. Horwath said. "Maybe he wasn't sure that he wanted to leave football until the time came close to training camp. Everybody should get off his back because he has to be true to himself."

Only a few short minutes later, former Minnesota Viking running back Robert Smith echoed my father's statements on the "Dan Patrick Show" on ESPN Radio.

Smith, much like Williams, walked away from football in the prime of his career in 2001 to make more time for his other interests in life.

Dan Patrick made it clear on his show that he felt Williams was running away from something and that that was likely the reason why he was leaving the game.

Then the marijuana issue, of course, had to come up.

I find it funny how the media at times manipulates the sexy side of a story to the absolute fullest. Williams didn't quit football to smoke pot. Do you really believe that Williams can't smoke pot and play football?

If you do, you are very naive about professional sports and its relation to recreational drugs. Period.

A lot of NBA players smoke grass. A lot of NFL players smoke grass. If fact, whether it's right or wrong, a lot of people in the world smoke grass.

The NFL was never going to kick Williams out for marijuana. How many times was Steve Howe in trouble in baseball for cocaine use? A million? He always got another chance and Williams would have too from the NFL, one way or another.

He was, after all, a superstar.

No, this isn't about marijuana, a medical conditional more commonly known as shyness, or a guy with an axe to grind.

This is about Ricky Williams not wanting to play football anymore.

He was a great player, a very talented player, but he never did love the game and he just got tired of it. It doesn't really matter when he decided for sure to give it up, only that he did.

Williams wants to do other things in life now. His football days are done because that's what he decided.

Because how much does Dave Wannstedt care about Ricky the person? How much to Dolphin fans care about Ricky the person? The NFL is a what-have-you-done-lately league and the Dolphins will find another running back.

Maybe not one as good as Ricky, but they will get another pro to step in. It doesn't matter what the media or the fans or his teammates think as long as one thing stays on course:

The fact that Ricky is true to himself.

It certainly seems that Ricky is doing what he wants with his life at this point and, for having that courage, I say more power to you, Ricky, and good luck.

After all, would the Dolphins still pay Williams millions of dollars if he wrecked his knee? No, they wouldn't because NFL contracts are written in pencil and not ink.

Williams doesn't owe the Dolphins or the NFL anything and he never did.