Crossing Over

June 21, 2006 | By Jason Sapp | Discuss

Ricky Williams had a successful debut in the Canadian Football League, rushing for 97 yards on 18 carries (although he only had 8 yards in the first half). The troubled Miami running back took his share of grief during the preseason, running for minimal gains and leaving many to question whether it was worth it for Williams to have crossed the border.

However, when it comes to Ricky Williams, most are not asking “why?”, but “how?” The quandary presented before us is whether Williams should have been allowed to play for another league, given his situation. It’s one thing if Williams is coming out of retirement to prepare himself for life in the NFL once again, but Ricky is currently serving his third suspension from the league, with the next one being his penultimate. The Dolphins didn’t know what to do with him, so enter the CFL and Ricky’s chance to stay in shape and curb the marijuana. While both sides are incredibly cautious over the whole ordeal, it could very well be a blessing in disguise.

When a player must choose a new league to play in, the reality of the situation becomes clear; there are only two levels of football which feature in the game in its purest form: college and the NFL. Adapting to a new lifestyle of play is challenging, which makes the player take extra steps in order to prolong his career. Most players are in these situations because they were cost-cutting measures or simply beaten out by younger athletes. If a player like Williams joins a new league with a new rulebook and style of play, he is no longer in a familiar situation and must adjust to the league accordingly in order to stay. However, when a player joins a new league and has a past that involves criminal activities, it is often a long-shot that the player will completely turn it around. Lawrence Phillips, the running back with a rap sheet as long as War and Peace, was unable to remain in the NFL, CFL and Arena League, all because of his unwillingness to commit and the inability to remain clean. Thus, the CFL is justifiably worried about Williams.

It’s no secret that CFL Commissioner Tom Wright is vehemently opposed to NFL players who arrive with a checkered past. Wright is seeking to improve CFL regulations when it comes to NFL imports, only because history has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Onterrio Smith, a promising back from the University of Oregon, threw away his first (and possibly only) chance with the Vikings, following his arrest at an airport for possessing the “Original Whizzinator”, a drug-concealing lab kit. To make matters worse, the Vikings suspended him a month later for substance abuse and he was ultimately released. Quincy Carter, the former Cowboys QB, fell into a drug addiction, which cost him the starting job, although there is still speculation as to whether or not that was the deciding factor. Carter’s drug abuse reappeared during his stint with the Jets, which sent him packing once again. Although they were relatively name players in the NFL, neither was able to crack the main roster.

That’s not to say that every player from the NFL with a troubled past can’t return to his former self. Take for example Alonzo Spellman, a defensive end from this writer’s Alma matter, Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mt. Holly, NJ. You could write an entire almanac of issues Spellman dealt with throughout his life. Suffering mostly from a bi-polar complex, Alonzo had a decent-enough career in the NFL, but once it came to an end, the relapses began and Spellman became known as a crazed madman whose antics would range harassing flight attendants and making bomb threats to barricading himself in his own home and threatening suicide. Spellman recently joined the Arena Football League’s Las Vegas Gladiators and surprisingly made the team, noteworthy because of his age (34) and the extreme differences between leagues. Spellman did enough to stay with the team, mainly because of his clean bill of health, and there is a chance he could return next season.

So, can Ricky Williams survive in the CFL? There is a chance he could have great success there, providing he doesn’t ‘return to his roots’, so to speak. Williams could prove that any player has a shot at returning to greatness, only if he is able to defeat the evils that held him back.