ESPN 30 on 30

[stevestojan]

Pretty interesting show about his career. He was indeed a bit bat-**** crazy.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Pretty interesting show about his career. He was indeed a bit bat-**** crazy.

 

I watched it. Very troubled man, but he seems to have turned it around for the time being (at least that's the way the documentary-maker chose to portray the situation).

 

The thing that bothered me was how he was so passe about abandoning his children so he could "find himself", after growing up himself without a father. I understand having personal issues, but as a father you just have to man up.

[billsfan89]

I watched it. Very troubled man, but he seems to have turned it around for the time being (at least that's the way the documentary-maker chose to portray the situation).

 

The thing that bothered me was how he was so passe about abandoning his children so he could "find himself", after growing up himself without a father. I understand having personal issues, but as a father you just have to man up.

 

 

Yeah I think the way he brushed off abandoning his kids was Dickish. However I think the point of "Finding himself" was so that he could man up. Give the guy credit that he did eventually take his duties as a father seriously most guys who abandon their kids don't ever come back (Although he shouldn't have left in the first place).

 

All in all I think the most interesting part of the documentary was how he didn't equate football success to his own happiness. He stated that he had productive years on the field but that he felt unproductive in real life, but there were other years were he had little or no production on the field but he felt happy.

 

People seem to think that football should be everything for an NFL player but I think that everyone should remember that for these players football is a job and you need to get away (Not in the same way Williams did of course) from it at times. If all you did was focus on your job wouldn't you get burnt out from it?

 

I look at Ricky Williams differently then I use to now. I think that we take football so seriously we forget often times that those guys out there are people yeah they live in a fantasy world were they get to play a game and be set for life but they are still people who have similar needs to us regular guys and all of them aren't right mentally. Sometimes sorting out your personal issues is much more important then playing a game.

[KD in CA]

Yeah I think the way he brushed off abandoning his kids was Dickish. However I think the point of "Finding himself" was so that he could man up. Give the guy credit that he did eventually take his duties as a father seriously most guys who abandon their kids don't ever come back (Although he shouldn't have left in the first place).

 

All in all I think the most interesting part of the documentary was how he didn't equate football success to his own happiness. He stated that he had productive years on the field but that he felt unproductive in real life, but there were other years were he had little or no production on the field but he felt happy.

 

People seem to think that football should be everything for an NFL player but I think that everyone should remember that for these players football is a job and you need to get away (Not in the same way Williams did of course) from it at times. If all you did was focus on your job wouldn't you get burnt out from it?

 

I look at Ricky Williams differently then I use to now. I think that we take football so seriously we forget often times that those guys out there are people yeah they live in a fantasy world were they get to play a game and be set for life but they are still people who have similar needs to us regular guys and all of them aren't right mentally. Sometimes sorting out your personal issues is much more important then playing a game.

 

Great summary. I thought it was a really interesting piece and it gave me a lot more perspective on Williams.