Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Arab League wants UN peacekeepers in Syria

Cameron on Ricky: 'He's a Miami Dolphin'

Running back rejoins team after reinstatement, will begin practice Monday

Williams AP
Miami Dolphins' Ricky Williams, shown in this Nov. 27, 2005 file photo, has played in only 12 games since the start of the 2004 season.

Those endorsements of the decision were as quirky as Williams.

“I don’t know if I had a daughter if I’d want her to date him,” linebacker Channing Crowder said, “but as a football player, as a teammate, I love him.”

Added linebacker Zach Thomas: “He won’t be a cancer in the locker room. He has always had a good work ethic. He’s always been a good person and a good teammate. Everybody deserves a second and third chance.”

And fourth and fifth, apparently, at least in this case.

Other teams were buzzing about Williams, too. Fellow University of Texas alum Cedric Benson, a third-year pro with the Chicago Bears, described Williams’ comeback as “awesome.”

“We’ve got this thing that when he gets in the league we’re going to compete to see who’s the better running back,” Benson said. “We always wanted to see who’s the better running back.”

Ricky’s return created a familiar circus-like atmosphere at the Dolphins’ complex. Photographers and cameramen began a stakeout across the street at 7 a.m. and awaited the arrival of the elusive running back. He showed up around 11, riding in a team van.

Cameron’s daily news conference was almost all about Williams, with not a single reference to rookie quarterback John Beck, who’ll make his NFL debut Sunday at Philadelphia.

Williams followed Cameron to the microphones and wrestled with the first question.

“My motivation for coming back to the NFL? Could we start with an easier question?” he said with a chuckle.

“My motivation is to get my life going again. Being out of football in the situation I was in makes it difficult, you know? I want to create a better life for myself and for my family, and being a football player, for me, is a big part of that.”

Slideshow
Image: Snee, 8, son of New York Giants player Chris Snee and head coach Coughlin's grandson plays in the confetti after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis
  The Week in Sports Pictures
The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more.

more photos

Williams, who has played in only 12 games since retiring in the summer of 2004, said he has been working out for about six weeks and is in “pretty good shape.” He offered no prediction regarding when he might play, and offered no pledge that his latest chapter with the Dolphins would end on a high note.

“I’m not necessarily looking for it to end on a high note,” he said. “It’s just going to help me get to where I want to be. I want to get on with my life. I want to go back to school and pursue a profession outside of football. Playing football is the best way for me to get there.”

The Dolphins were thinking more in terms of Williams getting them to the end zone. Maybe that will happen, too.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


< Prev | 1 | 2

advertisement
More news
Image: Gerald Sensabaugh, Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, DeSean Jackson
AP
Offseason needs for NFC teams

Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.

Image: Wild Card Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Denver Broncos
Getty Images
Wesseling: Offseason priorities for AFC teams

Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.