Report: Ricky Williams wants NFL to clarify his eligibility
By Keven Lerner
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted October 5 2004, 5:12 PM EDT
Ricky Williams reportedly has sent a letter to the NFL, requesting a hearing for the purpose of clarifying his eligibility to return to playing status with the Dolphins this season.
According to ESPN, an NFL spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the league has received such a letter from the retired running back, but declined comment on the matter. The sources said the league received the letter earlier this week and has yet to act on it, and no timetable for a hearing has been set.
There are no guarantees Williams would be cleared to play in 2004 because he filed retirement papers as a three-time violator under the NFL's substance abuse program. NFL rules state that applying for reinstatement before next August would count as a one-year mandatory suspension because Williams would be credited with a fourth failed test.
Two weeks ago, an arbitrator ruled that Williams must repay the Dolphins $8.6 million he earned in salary during his five-year NFL career. That figure includes $5.3 million paid by the Dolphins and $3.3 million in signing bonus given to him by New Orleans when he was drafted in 1999. It is more than half of what Williams earned in salary, not including endorsements or other deals.
In a restructured contract he signed in September 2002, Williams agreed to provisions allowing the Dolphins to recoup money if he violated the terms of his contract. The Dolphins considered Williams' retirement and his failing of three drug tests for marijuana as grounds to recoup his earnings.
Williams has told friends that he planned to file for bankruptcy if he lost the case. If that were to occur, the Dolphins could end up with little in terms of repayment, and Williams could become a free agent.
Williams, who was the Dolphins' leading rusher the past two seasons, retired in late July. The Dolphins began the recoupment process several weeks later after Williams failed to follow the team's request to report even though he would be facing a four-game suspension for a third failed drug test.
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By Keven Lerner
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted October 5 2004, 5:12 PM EDT
Ricky Williams reportedly has sent a letter to the NFL, requesting a hearing for the purpose of clarifying his eligibility to return to playing status with the Dolphins this season.
According to ESPN, an NFL spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the league has received such a letter from the retired running back, but declined comment on the matter. The sources said the league received the letter earlier this week and has yet to act on it, and no timetable for a hearing has been set.
There are no guarantees Williams would be cleared to play in 2004 because he filed retirement papers as a three-time violator under the NFL's substance abuse program. NFL rules state that applying for reinstatement before next August would count as a one-year mandatory suspension because Williams would be credited with a fourth failed test.
Two weeks ago, an arbitrator ruled that Williams must repay the Dolphins $8.6 million he earned in salary during his five-year NFL career. That figure includes $5.3 million paid by the Dolphins and $3.3 million in signing bonus given to him by New Orleans when he was drafted in 1999. It is more than half of what Williams earned in salary, not including endorsements or other deals.
In a restructured contract he signed in September 2002, Williams agreed to provisions allowing the Dolphins to recoup money if he violated the terms of his contract. The Dolphins considered Williams' retirement and his failing of three drug tests for marijuana as grounds to recoup his earnings.
Williams has told friends that he planned to file for bankruptcy if he lost the case. If that were to occur, the Dolphins could end up with little in terms of repayment, and Williams could become a free agent.
Williams, who was the Dolphins' leading rusher the past two seasons, retired in late July. The Dolphins began the recoupment process several weeks later after Williams failed to follow the team's request to report even though he would be facing a four-game suspension for a third failed drug test.
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