NFL suspends Ricky Williams for 2006 season
NEW YORK - Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams was suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the fourth time.
The league announced the suspension after Williams' appeal of his latest positive drug test was denied. Williams met with NFL counsel Jeff Pash on April 10 in an attempt to have the league overturn the test.
Previous positive tests were for marijuana, which Williams acknowledged using. The latest test apparently involved a drug other than marijuana.
The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner and 2002 NFL rushing champion, Williams retired and sat out the 2004 season, then returned last year to play for new Miami coach Nick Saban.
He served a four-game suspension at the start of the 2005 season for his third violation of the drug program, then ran for 743 yards and averaged 4.4 yards a carry while sharing playing time with rookie Ronnie Brown.
News that Williams had failed another drug test surfaced in February, while he was in India studying yoga and holistic medicine.
Saban repeatedly has praised Williams' conduct and performance last season and supported him in the appeal process.
The suspension represents a financial blow for Williams, who owes the Dolphins $8.6 million for breaching his contract when he retired in 2004. His return to the NFL was motivated partly by the need for a paycheck.
It's unclear whether the suspension might be the end of the mercurial running back's career. If he tries to return in 2007, he'll be 30 years old and will have played a total of 12 games in the previous three seasons.
