Twenty years after Ricky Williams infamously retired from the NFL at the age of 27 – with multiple failed marijuana tests and lingering rumors of a 3rd hit – the former Dolphins superstar sat on a couch on the top floor of a low-rise Manhattan constructing, puffing on a joint in a foggy room full of sports fans while “Monday Night Football” was playing in the background.
About 50 people crowded into the space, most of them smoking their very own joints, covering the room with a thick layer of smoke. Few appeared to notice or care as the power was cut off on one side of the room for a number of minutes, turning off music and TV (and a number of lights).
Williams worked in the room talking to other smokers, including one who was wearing a Dolphins shirt. That is the Ricky Williams – one of the all-time best college football players who played 4 straight seasons for 1,000 yards in the NFL (his 2002 season for 1,853 yards is fifteenth all-time). It might have been a staggering sight 20 years ago, in a time when not only was the public far less lenient about weed, but Williams was practically forced out of the NFL after multiple failed drug tests.
“I probably would have played longer,” Williams told The Post, still dragging on his joint. “But I probably would not have had that much of an impact either… It wasn’t until I had life experiences and got into trouble and began learning who I actually was that my life made sense.”
![Ricky Williams](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/ricky-williams-3-1.jpg?w=1024)
Now aged 45, Williams has dedicated his life to weed. But not only as a consumer, although he actually still drinks each day. Just over a 12 months ago, he began his own cannabis company called Nobleman – fitting, considering he won the Heisman Trophy as a star player at the University of Texas in 1998 – aiming to mix his two passions: sports and pot.
In 2002, the Dolphins trusted him with their future, trading two first-round picks and more to the Saints with the hope that he would turn out to be the centerpiece of the team. (The Dolphins weren’t the first team to bet on Ricky; three years before Miami signed him, the Saints and head coach Mike Ditka traded every other alternative they’d in the 1999 NFL Draft to Washington to maneuver up seven spots and take it. It’s considered one of the worst trades in NFL history and was essentially a death blow to Ditka’s NFL profession.)
But after two spectacular seasons in 2002 and 2003, he shockingly announced his retirement just days before the 2004 boot camp began, as the reason for leaking failed drug tests. It was an enormous story, and Williams was somewhere between a pariah and a laughing stock. The Dolphins went 4–12 and head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned midway through the season. Williams essentially disappeared from the face of the Earth, moving to Australia and living in a tent commune.
![Inside](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/ricky-williams-smoke-sesh.jpg?w=1024)
![Ricky Williams puffs on a joint](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/ricky-williams-2.jpg?w=1024)
He eventually returned to the NFL (and played for a 12 months in the CFL after one other suspension), but never reached his pre-retirement heights again. He suspects his profession would have turned out in another way if his attitude towards marijuana had been the same because it is now.
Highsman sells buds in five US states: California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington. The corporate curates three flower strains: Pregame (an energizing sativa), Halftime (a hybrid) and Postgame (an indica for sleep). They’re also planning events including a “Highsman House” smoking sesh and a “Monday Night Football” viewing event that The Post attended this week (and where we purportedly sampled the product).
In 2022, marijuana is legal in several states, including Recent York, where the event was held (at Work ‘n Roll, a WeWork-style coworking space where customers are encouraged to smoke while working). The NFL still is not as progressive about weed as some sections of the public, but the league has recently severely curtailed marijuana testing – and consequent suspensions for its use.
![Ricky Williams with the dolphins](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/ricky-williams.jpg?w=1024)
“Nowadays, a minimum of 80 percent of NFL players smoke weed,” Williams guessed. “I do not think they smoke before games – I believe there could be one or two guys in the team. But especially lately, it’s all over the place, it’s that easy, and the NFL only tests once during boot camp. In my opinion, in the event you’re in the NFL, why would not you?
The NFL often punished marijuana crimes – again, now completely legal in lots of US states – more severely than domestic violence, amongst other heinous crimes. Other players resembling Josh Gordon and Martavis Bryant faced long suspensions and their careers were essentially derailed as a result of positive marijuana tests. But under a recent collective bargaining agreement passed in 2021, players are not any longer suspended for testing positive, with NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith citing a society that’s “changing its views.”
Had Williams played today slightly than 20 years ago, perhaps he would not have missed out on his best years. But he isn’t bitter. As an alternative, it uses the Highsman – described on its website as “where sports and marijuana meet” – to plan events and educate the public about the advantages that smoking marijuana can bring.
![Ricky Williams](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/ricky-williams-4.jpg?w=1024)
“I hope that in the future, not only the front office, but additionally coaches will actually see the advantages of marijuana use by players,” Williams said. “One thing I’ve heard from current players and retired players is that retired players are kicking themselves because they have not found marijuana before. And plenty of current players say they like marijuana because once they drink they need to exit and are likely to get into trouble.
“After they smoke, they need to stay home and watch football. If the coaches realized this…
Lane Radbill, Highsman’s co-founder and chief marketing officer, hails from Athletes for CARE, a non-profit organization that advocates for the physical and mental health of athletes. Medical marijuana is a well-liked alternative treatment for a lot of of the issues athletes face – chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more.
While Highsman is primarily an organization that sells marijuana, Williams calls it a “lifestyle brand” – and says he began it largely to interrupt down the stigma around marijuana.
“The narratives around marijuana are bogus,” Williams said. “Once I was going through all my NFL stuff and attempting to seek support or help, there was nobody to say anything that basically spoke to me. And I feel like my journey has been an authentic journey and I feel like I even have quite a bit to share.”