Two decades after Ricky Williams infamously retired from the NFL at 27 years old – with multiple failed marijuana tests and rumors of a third strike lingering – the former Dolphins superstar sat on a couch on the top floor of a low-rise building in Manhattan, puffing on a joint in a hazy room full of sports fans as “Monday Night Football” played in the background.
About 50 people packed into the space, most of them smoking their own joints, coating the room in a thick layer of smoke. Few seemed to notice or care when the power went out for several minutes on one side of the room, killing the music and TV (and a few lights).
Williams worked the room, chatting with his fellow stoners, including one who was wearing his Dolphins jersey. This is the Ricky Williams – one of the greatest college football players ever, he of four-straight 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL (his 1,853-yard 2002 season is the 15th-most all time). It would have been a stunning sight 20 years ago, in a time where not only was the public consciousness on weed significantly less forgiving, but where Williams was practically forced out of the NFL after multiple failed drug tests.
“I probably would have played longer,” Williams told The Post as he continued to puff on his joint. “But I also probably wouldn’t have had as much of an impact… It wasn’t until I had life experiences, got in trouble and started learning who I really was that my life felt meaningful.”
Now, at 45, Williams has dedicated his life to the herb. But not just as a consumer, though he certainly still imbibes daily. Just over a year ago, he started his own cannabis company called Highsman – fitting, considering he won the 1998 Heisman Trophy as a star at the University of Texas – with the goal of combining his two passions: sports and weed.
In 2002, the Dolphins mortgaged their future on him, trading two first-round picks and more to the Saints with hope he’d become the team’s centerpiece. (The Dolphins were not the first team to bet the house on Ricky; three years before Miami acquired him, the Saints and head coach Mike Ditka traded every remaining pick they had in the 1999 NFL Draft to Washington in order to move up seven spots and take him. It’s considered among the worst trades in NFL history, and it was essentially the death blow for Ditka’s NFL career.)
But after two spectacular seasons in 2002 and 2003, he shockingly announced he was retiring just days before training camp was set to begin in 2004, with the failed drug tests leaking out as reasons why. It was a massive story, and Williams was somewhere between a pariah and a laughingstock. The Dolphins went 4-12 and head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned mid-season. Williams essentially dropped off the face of the Earth, moving to Australia and living in a tent commune.
He eventually returned to the NFL (and played a year in the CFL after another weed suspension), but he never again reached his pre-retirement heights. He suspects his career would have turned out differently had the attitudes towards cannabis been the same then as they are now.
Highsman sells bud in five US states: California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington. The company curates three strains of flower: Pregame (an energizing sativa), Halftime (a hybrid) and Postgame (a sleepytime indica). They also plan events, including the “Highsman House” smoke sesh and watch party for “Monday Night Football” that The Post attended this week (and where we, allegedly, sampled the product).
In 2022, marijuana is legal in several states, including New York, where the event was held (at Work ‘n Roll, a WeWork-esque coworking space where patrons are encouraged to smoke while they work). The NFL still isn’t quite as progressive when it comes to weed as some parts of society, but the league recently cut back heavily on marijuana tests – and the ensuing suspensions for using it.
“These days, at least 80 percent of NFL players smoke weed,” Williams guessed. “I don’t think they’re smoking before games – I think there might be one or two guys on the team. But especially this day and age, it’s everywhere, it’s so easy, and the NFL only tests once during training camp. My opinion, if you’re in the NFL, why wouldn’t you?”
The NFL has oftentimes punished marijuana offenses – again, now completely legal in many U.S. states – more harshly than domestic violence, among other heinous offenses. Other players, such as Josh Gordon and Martavis Bryant, have faced lengthy suspensions and essentially had their careers derailed due to positive marijuana tests. But under the new collective bargaining agreement enacted in 2021, players are no longer suspended for testing positive, with NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith citing a society that is “changing its views.”
Had Williams played today instead of 20 years ago, he may have not had his prime years zapped away. But he is not bitter. Instead, he’s using Highsman – described on its website as “where sports and cannabis meet” – to plan events and educate the public on the benefits that smoking marijuana can provide.
“My hope is in the future, that not only the front office, but the coaches actually see the benefit of the players consuming cannabis,” Williams said. “One of the things I heard across the board from current players and retired players, the retired players are kicking themselves because they didn’t find cannabis earlier. And a lot of the current players are saying they prefer cannabis because when they drink, they want to go out and tend to get themselves into trouble.
“When they smoke, they want to stay at home and watch football. If the coaches would realize that…”
Lane Radbill, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Highsman, came from Athletes for CARE, a non-profit organization that advocates for athletes’ physical and mental health. Medical marijuana is a popular alternative treatment for many issues athletes face – chronic pain, depression, PTSD and more.
While Highsman is first and foremost a company that sells weed, Williams calls it a “lifestyle brand” – and says he started it in large part to break the stigma around pot.
“The narratives around cannabis are all crap,” Williams said. “When I was going through all of my stuff with the NFL and trying to look for support or help, there was no one out there saying anything that really resonated with me. And I feel like my journey has been an authentic journey, and I feel like I have a lot to share.”
