Williams A No-Go For '06
By: Robert Kresge, Staff Writer

          The NFL suspended Miami Dolphins' tailback, Ricky Williams, for the 2006 season on April 26, after denying his appeal of his latest failed drug test. The failed test was Williams's fourth violation of the league's substance abuse policy. His previous failed tests had been for marijuana, but this time he reportedly tested positive in December for a stimulant-type drug.
          Williams and his attorney, David Cornwell, met with league counsel, Jeff Pash three and a half weeks ago, for about seven hours in New York to contest the result of the test. According to reporters, they argued that     Williams does not take the drug that he tested positive for, and the failed test might have resulted from him taking an herbal supplement as part of his practice of holistic medicine.
          Unfortunately, the league rejected the appeal, and a player's fourth violation of the substance abuse policy results in a one-year suspension. Even though Pash conducted William's appeal hearing, the decision about his status rested with Dolphins Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue. This will be the second time, in a three-year span, that Williams will have missed a   season. He sat out the 2004 season after abruptly informing then-coach, Dave Wannstedt, that he was retiring before training camp.
          His retirement lasted only one year, however; Nick Saban helped to lure Williams back to football and forged a solid relationship with the    running back after taking over for Wannstedt. Williams sat out the first four games of the last season for a previous violation of the substance abuse  policy. Williams rejected a deal that Cornwell negotiated with the league that would have enabled him to serve the suspension during the final four games of the 2004 season while he still was retired.
          Williams had an unspectacular, but productive, 2005 season, splitting playing time with rookie Ronnie Brown and rushing for 743 yards and 6 touchdowns in 12 games. The former Heisman Trophy winner at the     University of Texas has run for 7,097 yards in six NFL seasons, three with New Orleans Saints and three with the Dolphins. His best seasons came in 2002, with the Dolphins, when he ran for 1,853 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is expected to return next year, and who knows what the future holds.