Michael Ventre

Suddenly, the notion that an NFL head coach would trade all of his team’s draft picks for one pot-smoking running back in a wedding dress just seems silly now.

I look back at the halcyon days of Ricky Williams’ career, when the University of Texas star came to New Orleans toting a Heisman Trophy and exuding promise, and I smile wistfully, because unfortunately so much has changed for the worse. Williams is no longer the object of Mike Ditka’s desire, but rather a three-time loser in the NFL’s substance-abuse program.

Oops. Make that four.

The NFL made it official Tuesday, suspending Williams for one year for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

This is a blow the Dolphins can withstand. They have Ronnie Brown, who was the team’s leading rusher in 2005 with 907 yards; Williams was second with 743 yards. With Williams gone now, the club can plan for the future, which it could not do in late July 2004.

Back then, Williams decided just before the start of training camp that he would rather perform downward-facing dog at a yoga retreat than forward-facing running back on the professional gridiron, an announcement that left the Dolphins bereft in the backfield.

But if Williams is an addict, or simply an irresponsible goof with an appetite for hippie lettuce, the Dolphins were his enablers. I understand that everyone deserves a second chance, or a third, or a fourth. Yet it seemed clear to just about anyone with fully functioning gray matter that Williams only returned to the NFL to pay off some debts.

He does not love playing football, and because of that, he won’t be in 2006.

Presumably Nick Saban, the Dolphins’ hard-driving head coach, looked at Williams and thought he saw passion. Heck, Saban apparently testified on Williams' behalf in his appeal. Sometimes, people see what they want to see. The only fire in Williams’ eyes, however, was the reflection from the tip of a burning blunt.

Ricky Williams saga NFL suspends running back 1 year for drugs Celizic's Blog: Ricky being unfairly punished Ventre: Williams is simply a con artist Vote: Are star's NFL days over? More news on the NFL

Even at a low level of enthusiasm, Williams is still a heck of a football player. That’s what propelled him toward a decent season in 2005 after his globetrotting layoff. He has an enormous amount of talent, but he cares about whether he uses it as much as Ryan Leaf once cared about getting into the Hall of Fame.

No harm done by the Dolphins, really. They took a shot. All they’re out is $8.6 million, which is what Williams owed the team. That dispute has apparently never been resolved, and was only put aside while Williams worked his way back into the franchise’s good graces.

But with their running back in exile courtesy of the league office, the Dolphins simply look foolish. No player, and no money. Good luck tracking him down now, Wayne Huizenga. He could be anywhere that ganja is grown.

Williams himself is an entirely different matter.

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