Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

The NFL suspended Ricky Williams for a year last month for his fourth violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

The problem, and this is through no fault of the Dolphins, is that Williams is in financial risk. In short, the bills are coming due on Williams’ lifestyle. He has three children with three different women and a fourth on the way (his second with long-time girlfriend Kristen Barnes).

His child support payment on one of the three children comes to $50,400 annually and that amount likely can’t be reduced by of the way Florida courts view child support. By all accounts, Williams has been a giving father and actually has a very healthy relationship with his son Prince, his first child with Barnes. The other children live in Massachusetts and Hawaii, so he doesn’t see them as much.

Since the end of the 2003 season, Williams has made $285,000. He retired for the 2004 season and made only that much in 2005 after his transgressions with the NFL and over his contract with the Dolphins. He can’t start making any real money again until September 2007, assuming he returns to the Dolphins in good enough condition to be an effective player again.

To that end, Steinberg has made a convincing plea that playing in Canada will assure that Williams is in good condition, at least mentally.

“Do you want someone who is mentally free of the anxiety that goes with not having the money to pay your debts, about worrying whether the latest check for child support is going to bounce or not?” Steinberg said, rhetorically.

It’s a fair point. It’s also a fair point that Williams should learn to dig his way out of his own problems and that the threat of some jail time might be the only thing that does that.

You know, the kind of jail time where prisoners used to pave dirt roads.

Not just work as yoga instructor at the end of that dirt road.

Etc.

• The fact that Denver assistant general manager Rick Smith is getting serious consideration for the GM job in Houston is a further indication of how much control new coach Gary Kubiak, who came from Denver, already has with the Texans. Kubiak, who got a strong recommendation from former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, obviously knows Smith. Moreover, Kubiak was the one who made the final call on the decision to draft defensive end Mario Williams over running back Reggie Bush with the No. 1 overall pick. Kubiak overruled former GM Charley Casserly.
• Former Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington took his shots at his former team after arriving with the Dolphins this week. “We obviously had pieces in Detroit. That wasn’t an issue.  I don’t necessarily think we had the direction.  And that’s what I loved about this situation, is the control that Coach Saban has over this team,” Harrington said. He also took a parting shot at Lions cornerback Dre Bly.
• Speaking of the Dolphins quarterback situation, projected starter Daunte Culpepper looked good in practice this week. Said defensive back Renaldo Hill: “I’m expecting him to be out there when the season opens. He’s been looking good.” Linebacker Channing Crowder said Culpepper took off running on one play in a recent practice. Said Hill: “He looked good doing it. I didn’t see any limp.” Crowder smiled when asked about Culpepper on the move. “Our coaches were nervous, but nobody touched him. I’m not going to hit him.” Crowder also noticed Culpepper’s arm strength. “He throws hard, real hard. I would have about 17 picks if he throws regular. You can see from close range, or rolling out, when he has that momentum from running ... it will hurt [the receivers’] chest a little bit.”

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