Free Ricky!!!!

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Here's a cool article from Greg Cote of the Miami Herald:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/14330242.htm


I, for one, agree with his take on it.  If the "upper" was part of one of his yoga supplements or mimics it, he should be exonerated.  He has worked so hard to rebuild his image, it would not look good for the NFL to kill his career on a technicality.

[Brian Fein]

I can think of another 4-letter word starting with F that you can put in front of "Ricky"

[Frimp]

I can think of another 4-letter word starting with F that you can put in front of "Ricky"

From? 

[The_Phinatic]

I prefer this part of the article:

And free him, as in: Rule on this dragged-out matter quickly, NFL, so Williams and the Dolphins are not hostages to administrative lethargy as the draft draws near.

[jtex316]

He has worked so hard to rebuild his image

No he hasn't!  The only reason he's even in the NFL right now is because the Dolphins threatened to sue him for damn near 9 million dollars...and because he was probably flat-broke and couldn't pay it off.

He laid low after he came back, which was the smartest thing he's ever done.  This doesn't mean he's "worked hard to rebuild his image".  Now he's in the thick of another possible suspension and mor media garbage.

Yoga Supplements my ass.  I don't buy it for one second.  This couldn't have come at a worse possible time, in sports, with all the steroid allegations and stuff. The NFL should pull the trigger and suspend him for 1 full NFL season.  If they don't, in another year, or less, Williams will be in the news again for the exact same thing.

[Dave Gray]

I completely agree on this article.  If Ricky is caught using some kind of street drug, he should be suspended (even though the rule needs to be changed).  ...however, if it's a technicality, and Ricky has reformed himself, what's the point of sticking it to him.  ...what message does that send?

[Brian Fein]

I don't agree that the rule needs to be changed.  The majority of employers in this country have anti-drug policies, what makes the NFL any different?

[Philly Fin Fan]

Didn't we have a thread that went 8 pages about the exact same thing? If the NFL clearly states what drugs you will be tested for, pothead should take it upon himself to make sure it is not contained in his "yoga supplements". Pleading ignorance is not a legitimate excuse. You are in the program for a reason. If the supplement you want to take contains a substance that you are not permitted to use, go find another supplement.

[The_Phinatic]

He laid low after he came back, which was the smartest thing he's ever done.  This doesn't mean he's "worked hard to rebuild his image". 

I'm not on the Ricky bandwagon, but this comment is not exactly accurate.  Ricky won an award from the South Florida media for being a "good guy", which is something they give to the player who takes a lot of time to talk with them.  He didn't say anything stupid concerning drugs like he did the year before -- as in weed helps more than Paxil with S.A.D.  He was a regular guy and didn't cause any problems.  He didn't whine about splitting carries with Ronnie -- he helped Ronnie instead.  He didn't even complain about his low pay and said he would play this year for the same low pay.  He won his teammates and Saban over.  And best of all, he disassociated himself from Dan LeBastard.

[TEKGOD]

I agree with the article. Some people on this board act like women on here regarding Ricky its ridiculous. Its water under the bridge. He was been productive in his effort & that's all that matters, not the reason he is.

[Frimp]

^^^

[Thundergod]

I agree with the article. Some people on this board act like women on here regarding Ricky its ridiculous. Its water under the bridge. He was been productive in his effort & that's all that matters, not the reason he is.

One of the, if not THE only time I agree with TEK. 

   

[Dave Gray]

We talk about how Ricky should know that the Yoga Supplement thing is going to get him busted so he should be penalized.  While he should probably be aware for his own good, this idea of persucuting him anyway, knowing that he didn't really "use drugs" goes against the NFL abuse policy.

If people are getting positives for substances that the things the NFL is not trying to screen (like Yoga Supplements, when they're looking for street drugs), then the drug test system isn't doing its job.  However many times Ricky tested positive for weed is irrelevant.  In THIS TEST (assuming he wasn't doing meth on the street), he was clean, but the test failed.

Athletes know (and many of you do as well) that poppy seed bagels can set off positives for opiates.  Do you think the NFL would suspend Peyton Manning for testing positive for opiates from bagels a number of times?  Hell no.  Should Peyton know not to eat poppy seed bagels before his test?  Sure.  ...but it goes against the substance abuse policy (and undermines it) to suspend him anyway.

[fyo]

But he still needs to be able to show which supplement he took and substantiate that a compound in it caused a false positive. Considering that he was in India or whatever, even finding the supplement might not be trivial.

[Philly Fin Fan]

But he still needs to be able to show which supplement he took and substantiate that a compound in it caused a false positive. Considering that he was in India or whatever, even finding the supplement might not be trivial.

I read the failed test was in December, not while he was in India.