Well if I wasn't surprised to see Ricky Williams get caught smoking marijuana again, you could've knocked me over with a feather.  Uh...not exactly. Even so I can't lie.  I feel extremely sympathetic for him. He is by all accounts an exceptionally nice human being. Coaches and teammates, both past and present, usually have nothing but good things to say about Ricky the person. Unfortunately it's painfully apparent that he has little self-control. A man who plays essentially for free (to pay off a larger a multi-million dollar debt to the Dolphins) and still can't abstain from marijuana use must have serious personal issues. Under the circumstances does anyone really believe that Ricky Williams wanted to mess up again? 

Many will offer the argument that Williams is a man and must be held accountable for his actions. Others will say that drugs are illegal and their use makes him a criminal. Some will feel that his failure to take advantage of his additional chances indicates an immature, selfish character flaw that has let his family and teammates down time and time again. He will be judged mercilessly for the most part. Ah, such is the life of a professional athlete. The sign at the door says, "Help Wanted: People Needed To Live In A Fishbowl: Professional Athletes And Celebrities In General Are Strongly Encouraged To Apply."

Let me be perfectly clear. I'm not saying that what Williams has done is fine, nor do I remove responsibility from his shoulders. He knew the rules but in my opinion those rules suck. Simply put, it is my opinion that professional athletes are unfairly subjected to higher standards and more intense scrutiny than the common man.  Their wealth and status makes them easy targets of resentment, especially if they "get out of line".  The general public, as much as we like to see the storybook rise to the top, loves even more to witness the crash back down to Earth.  

If Ricky Williams was a man with a more mundane profession, say a mortgage broker or day laborer, who would know or care? Drug use penalties should not indiscriminately fluctuate across white-collar or blue-collar professions, let alone sports. If our friend who worked down at the warehouse smoked marijuana in the comfort of his living room, would we think it was fair that he lost his job when someone told his boss? I understand it's illegal (so are lots of things) but lose his job?  If that were the case then there would be even more unemployed folks all across America living off the government dime.

Let's take it a step further. If Williams played in the NBA, would he have these problems? It wasn't until 2000 that the NBA even tested for marijuana. As far as I know the most time a professional basketball player can be suspended for if he repeatedly uses pot is 5 games per offense. A player caught abusing cocaine or other hard narcotics will receive  more severe penalties and suspensions. (See Michael Ray Richardson, Roy Tarpley, Richard Dumas, etc...) However, the NBA is much more lenient with marijuana users. Incidences of players caught with it at airports or in cars have been well documented.

NBA DRUG POLICY

Testing

* All players are tested at least once during the four-week preseason.  Rookies are tested three more times, randomly and without notification, each season.  Veterans are tested once during the preseason.

* If a veteran tests positive, he is tested again during a season only if there is reasonable cause.  A doctor or counselor from the league-mandated program determines whether there is reasonable cause.

 http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n419.a05.html

Major League Baseball claims to have an anti-drug policy but we all know that it's steroids they worry about. Testing for "recreational" drugs is not administered randomly, but on a basis of reasonable cause. In other words they can test you for it when they feel like it. Now you tell me. When was the last time you have ever heard of a professional baseball player being suspended for smoking marijuana? As a matter of fact baseball has a long history of hidden drug use. Players in the 1970's widely used amphetatimenes even though they had become a prescription drug at the start of the decade. Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher  Dock Ellis claims to have pitched  a no-hitter after using  LSD on June 12, 1970 against the Padres. Many Mets players of the 1980's, such as Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry were known cocaine users.

Seems to me that Ricky Williams is playing the wrong damn sport.

Let's keep things in perspective about Williams' latest drug related issues. Before he gets crucified by the media and the general public let's ask ourselves: 1)Does the fact that the NFL has a more stringent marijuana testing policy than many police departments, government agencies, teacher's unions, fire departments, hospitals , or any other professional sport seem slightly out of kilter to you? Does this bother anyone else besides me?  2) When and why did the NFL decide that it was their role to do so? Those football players sure must have the safety of a whole lot of people depending on them.

Some (but hardly most) professions will test you for drug use once when you are initially hired and then leave you alone. Perhaps if your work performance begins to suffer they will warn you and maybe investigate if things don't change. Right or wrong this is typically standard practice in most workplaces. As long as your job performance doesn't suffer your private life stays just that, private. Apparently not in the No Fun League.

I hope some readers don't misinterpret my message. I am not trying to justify Williams' behavior or glorify the use of drugs. He has to play by the rules of his employer as we all do. Even if his acts were irresponsible  I know in my heart that the NFL is one of the few places in America where this could have happened to him. I have always believed in letting the punishment fit the crime. I guess the punishment for smoking pot for the rest of America isn't good enough for the NFL. They have to keep those menaces to society like Ricky Williams far away from the field of play.

Ricky's biggest crime is that he's "guilty" of being weak. Ridicule him for that if you must. Just don't turn a blind eye to the hipocrisy of the situation. Most of us interact daily with people who smoke marijuana and think they're just swell. Ricky on the other hand gets dragged through the mud.