Ricky Williams (not pictured) has always fascinated me.
How could he not?
He's a former Heisman trophy winner, led the NFL in rushing in 2002, failed several drug tests, left football to go live in the Australian outback, played in Canada, and then came back and rushed for over 1,000 yards for the Dolphins.
But that's not the most fascinating part.
When he speaks, he actually says something.
I often find myself quoting him when he said "my obligation is to the truth and not to consistency."
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I must admit I was riveted by the ESPN "30 for 30" on Ricky.
He's about as fascinating a subject as you could pick.
Before discussing the film, let me say, I really like Ricky Williams.
As a football player, despite everything, when he shows up--- he's there.
Ask anyone who has played with him.
He's no non-sense. He runs hard EVERY play.
If he decides to play, he's going to be a force.
He's complicated, but he's not a diva.
He doesn't pout when the ball doesn't come his way, he sets a vicious block.
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But my goodness, does Ricky have demons.
I didn't realize the extent of them until watching this film.
I knew he had social anxiety from his early New Orleans days and doing interviews while wearing his helmet.
I suspected that he was bipolar and that the marijuana use was a form of self-medicating.
And worst of all he had to survive Dave Wannstedt single-handedly trying to end his career (and ruin his post-football body) by giving him the ball EVERY play for two years.
What I didn't realize, was that Ricky had a history of what appears to be sexual abuse.
The film interviews Ricky's parents.
According to Ricky's mom, when he was 6, his dad stood over a toilet and made Ricky take sexually explicit polaroids of him.
The father was charged and had to leave Ricky and his two sisters.
The father denies it. He's found god and has a new family with 4 kids.
But Ricky had to grow up with all kinds of stuff. He had the guilt of having told on his dad, piled on to the abuse, piled on to growing up without a father.
That's a lot for a 6 year old to deal with.
And it takes an incredible person to expose your life like that.
Ricky gets more props given the hyper-macho culture of the NFL, Ricky just doesn't give a ***t. Even though he's in a locker room, Ricky lives in his own world. That's what I admire so much about him.
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Still, he can be a lot to take.
You know those conversations you have in college, when you can't fall asleep, and you and your roommate think you know everything? They just go on and on and on, and the more you talk, the more you realize, 'Wow, I'm full ot it.'
Imagine that movie "Waking Life," but not animated.
Most of us outgrow those shortly after orientation.
Ricky was having those for years.
It was hard to watch him in his super-pot days.
He had the full beard that always managed to capture JUST the right amount of food.
And sometimes, he truly wasn't making sense.
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Still, that was then.
This is now.
The movie ended with RW marrying the woman who has been with him through all the ups and downs.
He appears to have a clear head and a clear sense of purpose.
I follow him on twitter, and he tweets frequently about school and his goal of being a doctor.
I always cheer for 34 for the simple reason that he makes sports more interesting.
I salute his courage for showing his past, and the journey it took for him to get here.
Here's hoping his next journey is into the endzone 10 times and to 1,000 more yards.
Run Ricky Run.
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