America to Williams: Put Down That Bong and Play Some Football, Punk!

Any hopes that Ricky Williams' apparently candid comments about his pot use might throw some light on the NFL's anti-drug mania are dwindling rapidly. The Dolphins runningback made a surprise retirement announcement Sunday, and followed that up with the revelation that he's been beating drug tests throughout his five-year career with a detox potion. (Spectrum Labs, give this man an endorsement deal!)

While the message is worth considering, the messenger is as tainted as a urine sample on the last day of Burning Man. Williams, for reasons connected more to the method of his retirement announcement than his drug use, is not getting a lot of love from the pencil-necked pencil pushers who cover football for a living. A few samples:

"Pat's 2 Cents: Good Riddance Ricky." "Thank you, Ricky Williams, for showing me the way" (sarcastic). "Ricky Williams could be forced to give back to the Miami Dolphins more than $8 million already paid to him because he retired before the expiration of his contract." "Ricky Williams did not retire—he quit." "Ricky Williams was always fool's gold." "It's an act of betrayal that will be difficult for the team to recover from as training camp opens." "Incredibly, [Williams'] type of immaturity never stopped coaches from thinking he could be harnessed." "Ricky Williams' mom: 'As a fan, I'm heartbroken'."

Also a discussion, split between pro- and anti-Rickyists, at Plastic, and a photo of Ricky Williams in a wedding dress.

Looks like Mark Stepnoski still has the pro-pot football hero field all to himself.