Ricky Don't Lose That Number...

Ricky Williams has reportedly violated the NFL's substance abuse policy...for the 4th time.

For his 3rd violation, Williams was forced to sit out the first month of the 2005 regular season, after returning from his 1-year, and thoroughly bizarre, retirement from the NFL. Despite Williams insistance that his return to the NFL wasn't financially motivated, rumors persisted that Williams returned to the Dolphins only to avoid paying the team the $8.3M an arbitrator awarded the team after Williams "retired".

Williams did show some flashes of his former self last season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry in his 12 games. He even scored 6 TDs, and over a full season, Williams would've approached 1,000 yards for 5th time in his career.

If this report is true, and Williams is suspended for another season, it'll be another sad chapter in what was supposed to be a very promising career. Williams dominated the college game, leading the nation in rushing in 1997 and 1998. Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 1998, after finishing 5th in the voting the previous year. He was a two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award, given to the best RB in Division 1 football.

His combination of size and speed, showed enough potential for Mike Ditka to mortgage his reputation along with the future of the New Orleans Saints on Williams by trading his entire draft to move up to select the RB out of Texas.

Williams struggled to adjust to life in the NFL, amassing only 1884 yards in his first two seasons combined, and missed 10 games due to various injuries. After a successful, but not spectacular 2001 season, Williams was dealt to the Miami Dolphins.

It was in Miami where Williams appeared to right himself. Williams led the NFL in rushing in 2002, racking up over 1800 yards and scoring 16 TDs. In 2003, Williams ran for nearly 1400 yards, and led the NFL in rushes for the 2nd consecutive season. Nobody in the NFL touched the ball more than Williams those two seasons, as he was also a very reliable receiver out of the backfield (246 career receptions).

Despite all his potential, Williams has appeared in only 1 playoff game (in 2000, while with the Saints) and one Pro-Bowl (following the 2002 season). As Williams approaches the dreaded age of 30 (he turns 29 this year), it's obvious that Williams will never reach the levels his talent projected.