Ricky Williams | Ep. 132 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

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who we're riding with this week. Download the Draft Kings his Book app now. Use promo cod Smoke at five dollars on any NBA team to win that game during the playoffs and get one dred and fifty dollars in free bets instantly. That's promo cod smoke at Draft King Sports Book. Mm hmmm mm hmm. Welcome back all the smoke for twenty edition. Yes, sir Jack, what's a good fun of these burgers? I just had shout out the verd and uh that big old blunt I had after that,

So with just bad with me. Man, we got a very special guest today, a poet year uh in the cannabis space, but also amazing athlete. Welcome to the show, Ricky Williams man brother. Yeah good, and we rolled them up some of this bond bonds, the seven Leaves bond bonds. We enjoying the seven Leaves bond bond on this special for twenty episode. Man, what is the present day looking like for Ricky Williams? These days? I mean a lot of this, A lot of smoking and a lot of talking.

So I have a couple of businesses, so I wake up and handle like business stuff and then the afternoons by like side hustle is uh. I do professional astrology readings and so well talk to people like three people a day. So you read cards. I read cards, but but more I read astrology charts. So people give me their birth information, and then I look at the where the stars and the planets, where when they were born and just try to give them some insight. How long

does that take? Because I want to do that ship after the episode? Yeah, I mean no, that's dobe. What got you? What got you into that? So back in two times before, when I were tired from football, I just started traveling around the world and I met this lady and she started talking to me about ship and it's just like I lost and it just blew my mind and gave me some direction. And so I said, like, whatever that is, I need to like it. That's a

doe with the NFL Draft around the corner. Are you still locked in the football all you pay attention at all? Or you kind of removed yourself from that now If it's on, I can't help but be all the way, all the way in it. Um so, but I don't watch it that much. It's funny. I was watching the Super Bowl with my wife and we got married after I finished football, and so she never really seen me watched sports, and so the game was on and I just was so locked. Did She's like, who are you? Yeah? Yeah,

do you do you miss it at all? Obviously. You know we're gonna get into how decorated your career was. You chose to step away, obviously a little sooner than than you could have, but miss it at all, obviously, you said when you when you watch you still locked in thoughts on just the Supporter as a whole. You know what I missed and what I loved about it was it was one place I could go every day and I could just like put it all on the

table and just everything and it wasn't too much. And I missed that where everyone is aligned with the same goal and no excuses, just get to work and get it done. I missed that. Talked about talk to us about your upbringing the San Diego What was that like? Uh So, I guess, like a lot of people that grew up in in time, I grew up my parents split up, um, and really my mom was more like a dad anyway, and so I just had like a mom that was just about it, super mom. Yeah like that.

And so it just taught me how to be tough and and above everything, she just taught me that life ain't gonna be fair, don't expect it to be. To make the most of every situation, my mom's mom similar the same way. Like, so having a strong weather like that at a young age, did you have to change the decision making No? No, because my mom's My mom's thing was she wasn't don't do stuff. She was like, if you do something, like be smart enough to get away with it, and if you're not, like take your

lumps and learn. And so it just was really an attitude that that allowed me just to go for it. Right. It's been said that even at the early age, you had a profound out look on life has been an adventure. Talk about that. That's just from church. I think, you know, just going to church, and I was one of those kids. I just was always locked in and so whatever the preacher was saying, whether he was living in or people were living in, I just take it out locked in.

And so, like I said, my first role model, just because I was exposed to him every week, was that was Jesus and the idea like he really didn't care what people thought. He just was willing to go for it. And so I picked that up and I tried to live that out in my life. It's not a bad role model to half. Yeah, Church started to become an issue when I got like fifteen and they started to talk about that way till you get married. I like, wait a minute, I don't know when did sports of

martial laws coming to play? Early early? I remember in kindergarten, Uh, we had a teacher and she was really big into fitness, and so she would make us run two laps around the field. And I remember the first day, I was like, man, I don't feel like But then after two days, I just got curious, like what if I was the first one to like finish what I would feel like? And

I just took off and I never stopped that. I got that feeling that I realized I could do something or something I was could be the best at and I just I just let Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. We got another San Diego guy behind the camera. Uh what school did you go to? A big fella, the Saints Saint Augustine. Uh, football and baseball? With the two sports in high school you chose to uh run with? Tell me what you loved about each of them? Okay,

what I love? So baseball was my first love growing up in San Diego. Watching Tony Gwen, I thought I was the next Tony and my uh my stepdad was he was Panamanian and he just loved baseball. So it just was like he taught me how to play baseball and just was that thing. Because my mom told me when I was seven, she said, you are going to college and I am not paying for it. So I knew I was had to had to do something, but I thought it would be baseball. I kept playing. Football

came along. I started playing when I was eighth grade. I just was so much better that it just always a running back. I love playing defense to offense always. Yeah, I love to hit. I can see you big strong, thick ass out there popping people exactly. You know you end up taking a scholarship to Texas. What other colleges we're going to play At the time, I pretty much could have gone to any college. I took my recruiting trips to Berkeley. It seems like you would have fitted

to Berkeley. There wasn't your thing, you know. So I decided when I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, but I decided I wanted to be a college football player. So my whole thing about was a college football experience. So I went to I took a trip to sc close to going to see you, took a trip to Texas, uh, Notre Dame, and at the end of the day Texas just you know, I was looking for that that the program and where they were almost on top and they just needed a couple

of missing pieces and I could be that missing piece. Yeah, I'm looking for And I knew I had to start as a freshman. I knew if I was on the beach, like if I had a red shirt, I I wouldn't make it. We had to go in and play. Yeah, straight up to feel that San Diego has a rich history of it has been trophy winners. When you're able to bring that home, what did that mean for you? It's interesting we have four we actually have four husband

Trophy winnership. So you'll running back Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen Salon, Shan Salon, Yeah, he went to he was a Husky, right, he was Buffalo. He's a Buffalo. Okay, yeah, okay, Colorado, Yeah, okay, yeah,

But what did that mean? Obviously, such a rich history of great running back from that area, and you were able to continue to carry on that tradition likes it might sound cheesy, but it was one of those things where I just I reflected back on all the people that helped me get to that place, and just reflected on my upbringing and how when I was a kid, I had dreams and realized like all the people that had to show up to help me achieve those and

I was just one of those moments where I accomplished something but and I knew I had to do the work, but just realizing how many other people it took toll and feeling like hoping that all the people, you know, because I was a knucklehead sometimes when I was a kid, a lot of people had to like let me slide and forgive me and give me second chances, and just thinking of, you know, all those people hopefully at that moment where they saw me receiving the trophy, that they

felt like they were part of it, right special, Uh ninety seven, you played minor league baseball with the Phillies. What was that like? It was horrible? It was horrible, but but it helped me grow up though, helped me grow up. So this is what your I was out of high school. So so I left even like three days before I graduated from from high school. I got on a got on a plane and flew to Martinsville, Virginia, which is a tiny little town in in in Virginia,

in Virginia, and I was eighteen. I was like in the South, staying with this dude named Bobby and punkin in this house. It was it just was coach a shock and I was I just homesick. It just was. It was hard, but it was it helped me grow up because like my eor League baseball, you making fifty eight fifty a month and it's like you're living with other it's it's what was the baseball? How was the

baseball part? I struggled? I struggled, do you think mentally because it was such an adjustment mentally that you struggled obviously on the on the on the actual sports side of it. Yeah. If I'm being real, like you know, I'm kind of a sensitive person and so if I don't feel like comfortable in my surroundings that I like, I don't act right. But if I if I feel comfortable, I can handle anything, if I and so it just took me a while to figure out like what that

sweet spot is for me? Baseball. I again, it was rough, but I grew up because I would go I went from my Eor league baseball straight to my freshman year playing football, and then I would go back to baseball and then back to football. So I would go from you know, everybody like being the best to you know, just being a dude on the bus swinging the bat. So it kept me, It kept me humble. Yeah, definitely. Let me ask you a question, who were you cool

when they the basketball players? When we with Texas? I was who are you cool with? I was cool with? Uh? When I was in school with Chris Clack? Okay, so I played against him in the state championship my junior year, yeah Clack. Yeah. They went to Austin Allison. Yeah yeah, yeah. Sure. Also Reggie uh you know Reggie Freeman. Yeah he was he was a senior when I when I got there. Did you know b J. Tyler? I did that, Sure did. Yeah. So we're from the same hometown. Put off the text, Okay,

yeah for sure. Yeah. We had a James Brown, a quarterback with from Port ar Yeah. Yeah. Despite being a high first round projected picking none yet you tried decided to go back to school for your senior year. What made that jump in a time. Actually you were a little early, but everyone is so eager to jump. Now you actually decided to go back and finish. Like I said, when I was a kid, my goal wasn't even really to go to the NFL. It was to be a

college football player. But I'm not gonna lie. After I had my junior I led the nation in Russian scored, I was thinking, like going to the next level. Uh. And then I was sitting in our media guy's office and he had one of those almanacs on his desk, and so I started flipping through it. And I flipped through to the record for all time leading rusher in college football history. And I looked and I saw, like, damn, if I have a similar year that I had last year,

I could be like most ever. I flipped a couple of pages to touchdowns and same thing. I was like. I got. Then I went to all purpose yards, did the math. I was like, Okay, if I come back, I knew it was a risk. If I come back and have the same kind of year, You know, I could break all these records with their reach. Yeah, And I couldn't. I could have passed it up. So what

was it like? Obviously, the college experience itself, but then knowing what was on the line, really studying it, and no one was on the line your senior What was that senior year like with all the attention you received, you know, for real, it's when I started smoking. When at all that when it all started, because I came

back everything on the line. I was focused, and within the first couple of weeks I had, I had a bad game against Kansas State and I found out that my girl for like two years, was like messing with the quarterback on the team on your team, on the other team on my tea, dude handed me the ball. So so I was sick, and you know, I was trying to be like the better person, to not make a big deal and like mess up the whole season. But at the same time I was. I remember I

was sitting there at home after the game. I was just like, why the fund did I come back for this ship? Like, you know, my mind started early in the season. Early in the season, my mind started going to like I should have gone, I should have I should have left. And my homeboy like he's a smoker, and he's like, dude, you just need to chill, he said.

He slid his ball over, I hit it, and it was I smoked a little bit, but it was the first time I where I noticed that it took my mind off of obsessing about the bullshit and I started thinking like about next the next game and and no lie back to back three yard rushans after after that the first time seeing and I loved it. Obviously we're gonna get into it. You were a really a pioneer in this space as far as it's going to be

out forward with it. But to see where medicating is in sports today, and kind of knowing after that first bulk hit that ship really changed your life easy to say, I mean throughout your career knowing you needed that. How how how do you look at today's uh current policy for current athletes. I think it's it's changing, thank goodness. But you just said I needed it. And so when I got into the league, Yeah, that's that's the right word.

I'll tell you why. So I got in the league, and and when I first got a league, I wasn't really smoking that much. I smoke every once in a while with the guys, but we're only being tested one time a year. And it was in training camp when I was with the Saints, and so I've never had an issue. And then I my third year, I kept getting hurt and so I would start smoking a little

bit more when I was hurt. And then I got traded to Miami, and then I started smoking a lot, and and nobody told me that in Miami they drug test in the off season. So I came to work one day and they're like, you know, and then they got they put me in the program. And when they put you in the program, they test you nine times a month, and you got to talk to like a

therapist for two years. Same. Yeah, So they put me and they put me in the program, and at first I was like, I mean, I don't need to smoke, it's cool, you know. And then after about like three weeks, I was like damn. I was like, I can't do this ship if I like taking care of myself. So I started to find a way to like smoke and still pass the drug testcase. So what I think to me, especially football, but I really all sports, if we're you know,

what we do to our bodies. I think leagues need to give us all reasonable beings to take care of ourselves. And that that's besides the conversation of how much better this is the pharmaceuticals. I completely understand that nine and nine nine draft, the infamous trade the same trade every single pick they have, I mean, the mascot, the concession stand. They trade everybody for the boy talk about that. I mean I was, I was. I was honored, but at the same time, I wanted to be the number of

the number one pick. So I'm kind of salty. But I mean there's still they're still they're still telling the story now, so that that's that's the positive side of They gave up headsets, coolers, they gave up all those picks and the first pick for the next year. I wouldn't have done it, if you're being honest, I would have done it. I wouldn't have done it. I mean, if if he could come to me and he said, I'm thinking about making this trade, I would have said,

don't do it. Don't do it. So don't do it. Knowing all that, and everyone else knowing all that, your team knowing all that. How hard did that? Did that make it tough coming into training camp and and and kind of your first taste of the pros or is it it made it tough? In the sense that there was just all this like extra like extra stuff on top of Yeah, that was like it's not necessary to me. What I what I loved about the game was like practice, when we go on practice or when the game starts,

everything is focused. When I hated about all the other stuff that happens outside of it. Yeah, to me, it's like if I'm doing my job on the field, like what does it matter righting me to do especially when I'm not really I'm I'm chilling. I'm not out there fucking going crazy and doing all this other ship. I'm in my house medicating exactly, staying out the way. No limit sports. How did that happen? So we're trying to get p to I texted the smells like, Yo, we

have Rick on the show Man. We need you to come through it too. But you talk to us about what that experience was like hounds, some master p Rollo, a little Romeo. Yeah it was. It was a lesson you know for me, I I saw it. I was

an opportunity to do something different. And when I when I came into the league and all the age and you know, the typical agents comed at me, it just felt like slimy and due Terry Rito like p like the runner for a No Limit Sports, Like he became like an uncle to me and we just can't real tight, like I could tell him anything and just he just

really helped me navigate that process. So when the relationship fell through with my with my agent and I was looking for finding a new agent, I was like, since I have this kind of familiar relationship and I feel like these people, that it just makes sense. I didn't realize everyone would having like an opinion about it, you know.

I thought it was an opportunity to say, like we we keep looking to these kinds of people to to take care of us when there's other types of people out there, and and and he was just starting No Limit Sports, and I thought landed me like this could be an opportunity to change, to change something to help grow his company too. So how was your experience with it? Like you said, it was a learning It was wonderful.

You know. I was fortunate because all of this happened before the draft, and so you know, Pe being from from New Orleans, it was on. It was on, and I felt in a sense when I first got in New Orleans, I did feel like a familiar kind of sense because they were just down in bound rouge and they were deep. So I felt like I was part of the No Limit family, had my chain and everything. Hey,

they were a movement, they were a whole movement. And then when it came down to actual contract negotiation, UM, I took control and I and and this was on me. I told my agent what I what I wanted, and I and again for me, I saw it as an opportunity to explaining the statement for all the people that don't know what. So what I said is my My agent came back to me and basically had three different deals. What I told him going in is I said, you know, I said, I want to be paid for for my performance.

I said, because I'm the only draft pick that there's a certain like rookie pool of the max amount of money that they can give. I said, just give me that like maximount that they can give me for what I've done in the past. But moving forward, I want my performance, performance, performance space. And my agent said, well, you could get hurt and all that stuff. I said,

I don't. I said, I don't care, and he said, look, he said, look, I'm gonna go and negotiate three contracts, one that what you want, one of what I think more most guaranteed money, and then we'll do something in the middle. And he tried to convince me to take that one in the middle, but I said no, I said, I want the one that only pays me if I had kill it. But that makes sense because that's what the youngsters y'all need to pay attention. Because the agent

works for you, you don't work for him. So that's how I supposed to be anyway. But then unfortunately got hurt though, right I got hurt though, talk to us about that process my whole career from Pop Warner all the way. So I didn't miss never missed the game. So I wasn't even thinking about were registered. What if I get hurt? And so first preseason game, first preseason game and get a high ankle spraying, and I'm a I consider myself one of those those guys just placed through.

And so I missed a couple of games in the preseason. I was just barely ready for the first game, wrapped up that ain't going out. Reinjured it the first first quarter. Okay, so came out, but I got got myself right for the next game. I get wrapped up. Last play of the game, quarterback throws me the bomb running down the field, dislocate my elbow. So I the ankles just starting to get better. Now I got the dislocated elbow. Thank god, we had a buye week, so I rehabbed and I

was ready for that next week. Ankle braids, the elbow braids, and I and I tuughed it out for like five weeks until I finally got healthy. Now I started having a hund of your games. And then I got a turf toe and I missed four games. People don't understand how bad turf toe is. I had have surgery on my turf toe. That ship is no joke. But all

this you played through. So what you feel like. Obviously, cannabis played a huge part in obviously the mental but then also the recovery part in in you know the truth though, if I if I think if I was smoking more earlier in my career, I think I think I could have avoided a lot of because when I started smoking, I didn't get hurt anymore. Recovery, Yeah, it's the recovery, but I think even more so it's just getting your mind right, because most of the time people

get hurt. It's like you're you're not You're not you're not dialed in? What or were you? So I was someone who smoked the day of the game. Were you someone similar or right before? How did you take? I mean I was like I was after. I was always after. That's because two things. One, I wasn't smoking enough to have my tolerance at that level where I felt comfortable. And too, I just think the stigma it didn't even occur to me. I don't know if you guys have

had this moment, but I had this moment. I was. I was in Jamaica, UM visiting where Bob was born, his birthplace, and I was with this his his younger brother, and his brother was saying Bob used to go to that rock up there and read the smoke and read the Bible. And I was like, you can smoke and read the bottle At that moment, like where something that's supposed to be good for you or something that's supposed to be bad for you, how they could come together?

And I just was like, damn, So I got my Bible, got got my split one up there smoked, and I like that's when I that's when I had that moment. That's when I aint seven is right before. It was like a week before I retired, and so like, you know, I think, yeah, I think smoking. I had a day of practice when I was playing. I played a year in Canada and I broke my ankle and uh, it messed up my arm. So I wasn't I was in rehab and the guys and I was just coming back.

Then the guys were driving to practice and they were passing a blunt around and I was just like, I'm not playing, So I was like, I'll smoke before a practice. I had the most amazing like practice ever. I didn't feel my my pain. I felt like I was a kid again out there just bawling. So I got it. But it was it was yeah damn. So yeah, I was someone who because like I said it, I think

you said it perfectly, like it locks it. It combs the outside noise and you lock in on with your with your job is supposed to be and that's you know, the ultimate focus Dick ESPN magazine cover. Yeah, how did that come abound? Dan Labatard worked for ESPN at the time.

He's writing for ESPN the magazine and we become close and he reached out and he said, they want to do a piece for the cover of you and Dica, and so they We went back and forth for like two months, throw different ideas around about the picture, and then one day Dan called and he said, like, what about you got you in a wedding dress and Dicka that in a text like you guys are getting married and as on my phone in the in the car,

and I laughed and I said that'd be funny. I was like, yeah, But then when I got there that day, I was like, I was like, and then when it came out and I and the media had and then it really wasn't funny. But yeah, hey that was today boy, he said. At first I laughed, but then I got there, it wasn't funny. But I had to put the dress on him, and like I realized that was what was going on was happening. Yeah, yeah, goddamn. Obviously, you know, you spoke of someone who was never injured until you

got to the Pros. When you're in the Pros and you get injured, the first thing they want to do was pump you full of all kinds of different bull zoids. And and and and ship that is masking one problem causing long term effects on the other side. Talked to us about that process. I know you've been very vocal with the recovery of it, but just also the whole

overall process. Well. I remember one day was I was sitting in the in the training room before practice, and I was watching each of the guys come in for practice to get the tortof shot, and I started doing the math like I was like if someone played eight ten years and they have to do this every day for practice, Like what is this doing? What is this? What is this doing to our bodies? And real quick,

I don't want to cut you off. Please remember your thoughts toward all is so strong that when I was with the Clippers going into the playoffs, I got hit by Dwight Howard and UH had a minor tear in my shoulder. So during my shooting arm, so during the whole round, like during the week, I couldn't barely lift my arm. I'm doing rehab to lift my arm. I'll take the tortol shot two ours before the game and

I'm totally fine, totally fine, Like unbelievable. You go to practice without toward all you feel like you're five years old. You didn't imagine doing in a practice I had in a game like Superman. That's that's the year we beat San Antonio in the first round and the last play I blocked Kauai. That was my hurt shoulder that the day before I couldn't even lift. Yeah, yeah, so it's real.

So I understand why. But I was doing the math and I said, I gotta find like some other way to take care and I just had to smell an more and then finding like how to take care of myself. Like I spent a little bit more time stretching, and also it was when I smoked and stretched, I was really getting in there and like it really like yeah,

different focus. How many years did you play? At what point in your career did you kind of say I'm leaving this prescribed medicine from the league behind and solely's smoking cannabis or was it always a balance of both? It was it was a bounce up until that moment I just told you about. But after that, I mean I might have taken something like I had to be in a lot of pain before I would take something.

So and I was probably six or seven years in in but I started taking care of myself and I didn't spend any time in the training room, and the trainer just left me alone because they were like, whatever you're doing. And I think a running back that you get hit the most exactly whether you're blocking or running.

That's a beautiful thing. Damn. I think in the in the long term, like, if the sports teams are to support players using cannabis, it's gonna save them a lot of a lot of money, point blank, that's not What do you think about high high profile athletes now not necessarily coming out in in hey I'm out here smoking, but knowing that they do use it, and there's kind of a perception now that they're starting to realize like, okay, the best players are actually using this too. What did

you thought about that? I mean, personally, I think that the players should be out there saying because you know, what I found is so many people come up to me and they've said, you know, I was like how to attitude about this? And I was against it until like your story and I saw you and because of that, I tried it and I and it helped me right, And so I think players coming out and being honest.

It's just gonna really help a lot of people get access to this that for whatever reason in their mind or whatever, they don't have access to it, and stop worrying about what people think. And I think that's the biggest part. Like even me, I stopped smoking because I'm Muslim, but then again, I know I need it. But but I know I'm one of the most righteous people alive, you know what I mean. It's just got to get to the point where you do what's best for you

and not work about what people say. And I think that's why a lot of players don't come out and talk about it. But I think a lot of it is is misinformation. And what I realized is when we were young and so we hear people say like the war on drugs, war on drugs. Now that I'm older and I've gone back and like just studied a little bit, it really was a war. Like literally, like the are are this mighty government militarized against Kain's cannabis? Militarized anything?

Like in any war, there's always a lot of casualties and it takes a long time to heal. But if we go like pre drug war and we really understand the history of this planet. It was used by righteous people to help them achieve more righteousness. Like that's what it was for. And and I think too, we're remembering that, but we're doing it the hard way because we're like, at least for me, I became a better person when I started. Well, I'm the best man. My wife told

me that please hurry up back smoke. She used to texting me get him back to smoke. He's not the same persons needed, just's needed. You traded to Miami in two thousand two and led the league in Russian for for your first year. You almost had eight hundred carries for those first two years, both of the seasons, your top twintering for most carris by running back in the season. That's a lot of wear and tell on your body in the NFL, caring that many times, and we know

how you run. I just told the people that's gonna get to the preview that we're running over ship. Yeah, what was your mind saying? Where's your my friend? Um? The first year when I led the league in Russian, I averaged four point seven yards of carry, so and that was great. The next year averaged three point eight yards and carry more, carries a lot less yards. That was not so. But they stack in the lineup ain't stacked, you know, it was. It was there stacking the line.

But but also like I see, like in any sport, when you have a player that not necessarily the best player, but the player that everyone is like, thing is everything is built around other team knows if we stop him, we're gonna win. You need the other guys on the team to realize that and step up their game to

to meet that kind of force. And I think the first year the success kind of surprised everyone, and I think that second year and you know, when you after you win and you go back, you can't take it easy. Everybody's coming for you. So you gotta like take your game to the next level to be able to meet that challenge. And I felt like as a as a team, everybody did. We did it. And so I was taking the talk and everybody was like, tee it off on my ast. Oh man, let's go ahead more. Oh man, alright,

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upgrade your life. Ask someone in your position, you're coming off leading the league, how does that take a toll on you? Because I mean that's a lot of the mental health that athletes are talking about. You just saw Kyrie yesterday kind of go in on fans, like, what kind of toll did that take on you. Well, I think it takes it. It takes a toll the fact that just in general as a professional athlete, that people

like they forget that we're human being. They know, they think because we make money that they can that we don't have feeling. Yeah, but he but on a deeper level, like like to me, it's like you're the one paying money to watch us, you know what I'm saying. So, but it's probably something that we're doing that you can

learn from. And so instead of like throwing it out, just like try to learn from us, because whatever we're doing, you're like, yeah, you'd rather spend time with us to your At some point, I had to figure out that it's people that are just fans of the sport. But then you've got people that wish they could be you, you know what I mean. And that's where we get

the confusion. That you've got people that really they're really wish they had like playing Basketball's people that really had hoop dreams, they really want to be in the NBA that play the man whoever did all that some fun everybody that played basketball that made to the NBA. But then you got your fans that really love their team. I think the fact that they're sitting together in the stadium, it's hard to upbraid the good fans and the bad fans. Yeah,

I agree. Is it a coincidence that you just started drug feeling drug tests around this time? Well? I think the other question, is it a coincidence that I started leading the league and rushing because because so like when I first got to Miami, that's when I really started smoking. I remember I would come home after after working out and I smoke and I would like start to like visualize myself like I was killing it, just killing So

I just had this. I just had this. By the time the season came, I just had this knowing that just like I was ready, I was ready. So I think that had a lot to do with the tree. Yeah, yeah, I love that. I mean we can we can speak to that. Yeah. I feel like I gotta be high every doing everything. I agree. I'm just there's no way though, I can do nothing without it. You're preaching to the choir, yes, would you? I mean it's like I can't back. I'm sorry, Yeah,

I can't. Two thousand four, Uh you decided to retire? What what? Uh? You were over everything? Where are you went mentally with that? And what made you come to that to smoke my tree in peace? Yeah, you know it's interesting. I feel like sometimes in life, like the universe is trying to tell us something and sometimes we don't want to hear it, and it's got to like tell us really loudly. And so two thousand two I led the NFL and rushing two thousand and three, he's

got my tore up. And so coming into the next season, you know, I went to the two thousand four, I went to the Dolphins and I and I said, like, if you're gonna give me the ball, like and expect me to do everything, like you need to take care of me and make sure that. I started to like think about the future and think like if I keep doing this, I'm not gonna last very long, and like

what am I gonna have to show for it? So I said, like, if you're gonna do this, I'm good with it, but help me feel good about doing And their response, but they went to they they came back with the business response, and for me, like a business decision, right is my business decision? Is? This is my only body and I have to find a way to take care of it. I need to feel good. That's my business. I understand you've got your business and you got salary,

cap and all that other stuff. Just the way they came back to me, I was like, Okay, they don't really they don't really appreciate they're taking me for granted. And so already I was like okay. And then after having a year and thinking, you know, I spent all my life trying to be the best football player I can be, and I realized that it has there's a lot more that goes into me being a good football player.

And by being a good football player, I've seen that I've been kind of like a like not a good person at some of these and I started to bother me. So I started to think about like what am I doing with my life? And what I felt was I need to like travel and see the world and do some ship because my heart's not in this right now. And then with the contract and then all this other stuff started to happen, and so I just was like,

I hear the messages, time for me to go. So it was just one of those things where but I think, like again, my dream as a kid was was to make it as a college football player and then have some kind of platform where I could like tell people like what I think. And I got to the NFL and people were just like, shut up, shut up, we don't want to hear. Shut up and run. Yeah, we don't want to hear what you have to say. Just go run. And then I, you know, I got to the point where I was like, I need to have

I need to say something. But then I realized, because I've been chasing football my whole life, I don't really have anything to say. So I left and I started traveling just having more experiences and meeting different people, and went back to school, started studying things, and I was really passionate about so I learned. So I now I

feel like I have actually something to say. What was it like because obviously back then, when you were doing it, the the cannabis was the ultimate no uh, so that the media content starts to paint a picture of a bad person went again. You've been explained to all the reasons why uh leading up to this, But how hard was that having to deal with that on a on

a daily basis? You know, I was fortunate a couple of things, you know, one back in two times before nobody, like we weren't educated about cannabis the way we are now, Like outside of California and Oregon, nobody was talking about medicinal marijuana, and so I didn't have the language. And so when it when it first hit the news that failing a drug test was connected to my retirement, I had a friend of mine who was leaving the country,

so I was like, yeah, let's go. So I didn't have to really deal with with any of it because I was trying. I was traveling around the world. And the funny thing is I was traveling around the world, I kept meeting people who like smoked, and so where I like, I wasn't not. I wasn't trying to run away from it. But I thought it was interesting that as I was like out and about, people didn't even

know who I was. And I kept running into it, and I kept running it into it in ways where people were talking about it, in ways that I had never heard people talk about cannabis. And so well, I ended up um back in uh in northern California, studying ara Veda, which Indian medicine, and I was looking through a book and I came across a book, and it had a whole chapter on cannabis. And again, at that time,

no one was talking about medicinal marijuana. And so I started to realize, there's a lot more to this, to this thing than than what we've been told. And because I surrounded myself with those kinds of people, when I finally did have to to deal with the media, I

felt more supported. And so Mike Wallace from Sixty Minutes came to northern California where I was studying out Ravada, and it was like that interview we found we found Ricky and one of the questions he asked straight up, he said, if the NFL drug tested you right now, would you pass the test? And I remember, you know, looking at him, and everything in my head was saying lie, lie, Lie lie, and something that I just said, like I just said no, I would fail. And it was like

it was this moment where I was being real. This was two thousand and four. I was being like honest and I was being real and I knew I wasn't supposed to, but it felt like really liberating because I wasn't in the NFL. It felt like liberating to be able to like to tell my truth and not back down from it, you know, and like that to me, that was a special moment in my life where I kind of said, I'm I'm on this side. I made a statement. So after that, I mean, that was kind

of obviously a ground break type of situation. What was the with the feedback on that? Because I always say like you were just ahead of your time, Like if you came out and did that, now you would be leading athletes in this space. I mean, you're obviously one of the top people. But to do it back in that time in two thousand four, once you kind of came out and told your truth, it was almost a weightlifted on your off your shoulders. What was the what

was it met with? So you know it funny like personally it was it was the coolest thing in the world because you know, I'd be on the airport, I'd be hanging around. I remember I was in sacrament Or at the airport and I was kind of lived up there at the time, and some guy like it was that same feeling of when somebody recognizes me, but he was like, hey, I got I got something in my car. You wouldn't come and people would just come up to

me and just give me weed. Like so it was amazing, like the like the one on one dealing with people. I felt like I was more real to people and there was something up for it to connect on on a deeper level. And you know, the NFL. I came back to the NFL partially because the Dolphins suited me for an eight million dollars um, but also the NFL kept asking me to come back. Um they wanted, they wanted. Yeah, yeah, So I came back and and it was weird. I was still in the NFL drug program, but it was

like nobody just nobody ever talked about it. And one time, one time, somebody, one of the people in the media, we had like a bye week and we had a couple of days off, and he said, do you ever think about smoking weed? And I was just being honest. I was like, I think about that ship all the time. And then it kind of came up and it was like, you know, coach told me, like, you know, don't be a distraction. But other than that, people everyone pretended like

pretend like it didn't happen. Yeah, that's crazy. What did you really find out about yourself once you stepped away from football? I think I found out that I was just a more spiritual person than I that I thought, And that's what lead you into all the astrology stuff exactly. Just I'm like that, I'm just really curious. I just wanted to want to learn exactly. That's all that I think about. Where else? Uh did you get to travel? You said you travel the world. Were some of the

favorite places you pit stopped that? I love Thailand? I love Thailand. It's beautiful out there. Yeah, Australia was Australia was cool because it's different, but everybody speaks English, so it was different enough, but but it still felt familiar enough in your in your travels. Who had the best grass? Good question? I mean, obviously, um, Amsterdam, but but Hawaii.

Surprisingly we were there. Yeah, we were there. Why I was just now the whole another like, I don't know if it was that batch or if it's across the board, but I had it like it so far out there. It was funny because we used to go to Amsterdam in the off season, me and some guys that are still playing, but they said they get a majority there. Uh. We from California, Northern California in particular. You bounced back in the league in two thousand five, Right, but you're

still dealing with the NFL drug policy. Back and forth, back and forth. Was there like it's stressful. I know it's stressful. You just want to smoke them chill. Well, you said, you said at one point you learned how to be tested and still was this during that time because I went through different phases, Like the first the first time I got into the program, I found this

drink okay and just called liquid. We used to use something extra extra clear or something okay, and you gotta like, you gotta drink it, and then you wait fifty minutes, drink about the water, drink about the water. You gotta win. You gotta keep peeing, you gotta keep peeing. Yeah, we're giving away our secause we've never talked about this the first time. This is the first time our ship used to be liquids. That's what got me though, is that

that time that I got caught. The second time is like I went out, we lost to the Eagles and we got knocked out of the playoffs, and I just was like, went too hard that night, and so he would come at six o'clock in the morning, so I wake up at five the process and I fell back asleep. Didn't get that. I didn't get off barely. I just barely failed. You got to get at least three to four clear. So that was how he got so speaking

to your ship. So when I was I was in the program with the Clippers and got traded to Memphis, and uh, the p man was coming once a week, so I would be clean all week. He would come to him by name. He would actually I did know his Now I forgot to ship, but I'll be clean all week and then the day he test me, I'll smoke the entire day and then try to get cleaned the whole entire week, and I'd be able to take that.

That was my second That was my second way. At the second time when I came back, it was only once a week, and and then I got to the point where I realized I could take three hits and pass the test the next day, three hits and pass the next day. So you would just want to take a drink, drink a bunch of water, just because I was like as an athlete where cycling the cannabis when it comes out, it's because it's stored. But if you don't smoke enough to store it. Yeah, you was microL

doce micro doce. Yeah, but but because I was in the program and micro doce worked. You know, when you're only doing like three hits, not as much exactly get you where you need to be exactly. I didn't have the powerm you all the way in I'm going, so I go to sleep. That's how it was that I had some ships shipped shipped up from Cali and every once a week I could to smoke once a week, so I burned it down like to three joints. I'd

probably pass out in my chair. It was on the regular wake up and just I had to get it into We've never talked about that because I never wanted to bust no one out. But since there, they don't test for it no more. Because everyone used to say what do you used to take? And we used to have to tell it but it was liquid from g NC or when they didn't have liquid. I would just say, yo, what I would go to I'd be real to do, like I got to pass a P test, what do

you recommend? What's the hardest cleanser you have? And that would give it to you, But you would feel like ship though, because you had to take that drink. Now, I just used to take a bunch of water. I used to have my trainers. I used to drop some of my trainers some bread to give me a heads up, like, because they got to a point, we're doing four randoms during the season. We didn't know what else coming four randoms in the season. This is not even in the

program though, This is just regular four random tests. So I would always, you know, I get some of my trainers some bread, like just give me a heads up in the morning they come. So sometimes I do that whole process and be bloated like a motherfucker. I didn't even get tested. I was pissed. But at one point we knew that you can go on the drug program and still smoke, so we told them earlier live. He was like, Man, I'm pissing dirty just putting me in the program and you can stand up. I stay in

the program. Damn. The three seasons. It wasn't no penalties there. That they wasn't They wasn't help you as long as you in the program. You just gotta pay a certain amount of times and something because but it was really just staying in that mother for three years. If you're in the program and you get popped, that's like four games suspension. It's like, and it keeps getting worse. It

probably worse some penalties, but Jack probably just maneuvered. When I first got in the league, it was one drug test like them, it was a preseason when they got the whole two too, so we could we had we had weight in the car as soon as we got out of practice that day. That's how it used to be. How did determinate relationship with the NFL and pack ther image? Though I know that kind of pissed you off, honestly, at the end of the day, it actually helped. It

actually helped. I mean I had to come back and like finish my career and like earn that kind of respect and carry myself a certain way. But at the end of the day it turns into like a redemption story and it allows me now to tell positive exactly right, I was right the whole time. Yeah, basically straight up? What was it like? Real quick? I want to know, because my brother played with the Argonauts and running a

great cup, what was that experience? Light? Because I was the one thing he was a receiver and he said they used to just that the treatment was low grade. Just it was tough to really make it if you come from even like college and staste to something and then you go to that. I mean, our like facility were trailers, you know, trailers we need like our on our team meeting room was just a trailer. But but I will say, like if you if you really are about the game, you know, then it I can bring

you back to it. And for me it did, like because if they're only certain there's only a certain number of American players that can be on the team. So most of the American guy like stayed in the same area. So it was kind of like college and after after practice we just go play. It was Toronto, yeah, and it was Toronto and it was Toronto, right, yeah, so it was I had a wonderful experience, did you you know?

My brother said he loved it, but he's just like as far as like the amenities and trying to keep your body on top of it, it's tough. It's maybe like the gear, you know, trying to get it was tough, like idea every but I used to have to give this away and now I can't even getting up. When you initially stepped away from the game. Was there you said you started traveling right away? Was there ever kind

of like a null? Because I kind of feel like when people step away from something they've been accustomed to their whole life, there's kind of a little did you ever hit the rut or you just kept much? I just saw I was going so hardcore just to like because it was something that was building up. It wasn't like I was. It was something that was building up, and I just knew I needed to like sold my

royal old so SEEI the see the world. So I was on it and that way I went on and I got to this point where I was like, this is great, but for my life to really take off, I need to go back to the league and clear my name not that, and so it kind of it led me back. But I came back and the biggest difference was before I was kind of in this there's no man's land of like what do I have to do to like keep this? And when I came back, it was more like what can my career, what can

the NFL do like do for me? And so I was just more intentional. Did you get what you were looking for? I got exactly where I cleared my name, I was able to walk away and with the platform intact that I now have access to. So yeah, uh, you recently launched Heisman. What are your hopes and visions

in this cannabis space with that? I mean really a lot of this of these conversations, you know, because like I'm hard core, and I'm saying because most people, they say, you know, they'll talk about using cannabis, but then they'll have all their reasons. You know, I've heard or this or that, And I'm saying, like, more like this kind of conversation where people are talking about like did you take your medicine today? You know where it is people

I feel comfortable saying I need this. I need because people say like I need this for a lot of reasons. But when you're saying something, I need this because this makes me a better person, I think, you know exactly, that's the biggest thingment you can make. Yeah, I think, yeah, I mean I just think hearing the why you know this is why. But they've never heard athletes say why.

It was always just a stigma your you're this, you're that, you're you're you're you know, you're not focused but when you actually hear the reasons why, you can't argue with it. The crazy part, though, is like, is this is what I noticed? Is I believe that too? So I thought I was doing something wrong, and so I took a step back and I said, like, really, what is going on? And I was like, uh, And it might sound crazy, but at that time, at least from my body's perspective,

this was better for me. Even football anything. Talk to them real ship. I mean, my I started smoking at fourteen, and I didn't really know. Obviously I didn't need it for the pain at that time, but I had just had a tough upbringing. And I remember the first thing you said is it just calmed everything on the outside. And I knew when I smoked it would take me there. So fast forward, you know, I'm forty two now, I've been smoking, you know, for more than half of my life.

But we can always, we can explain until we're blew in the face. But I think that the real breakthrough was when they were started having medical research behind this. So now we're saying what we're saying is backed up by actual information, and I think obviously that's why it's moving the needle now, but it's we've been saying this, we just didn't have, like you said, the terminology, I guess is what they needed. And I think it's more more people that are are successful in life come out

and tell their story. I think that's going to drive you more. It's going to change the research questions. Yeah, I agree, So speak to exactly. I mean, you have it pretty narrow focused on different you know, aspects of the cannabis space. So speak to us about your and in the names of each and what you decided to go this route. Yeah, so like overall, you know, creating

a brand. When I got into the cannabis space, like I saw it's like what people were calling a brand is you just create some like fancy packaging and then you convince people that yours is better than the next. And that's a brand. And to me, h, I think I get it. And there are people doing a great job. But for me, if I'm gonna do a brand, it's gotta be like be part of it, has to be

part of me that that I'm putting out there. And so I thinking I was saying like earlier about I had this experience of how cannabis actually helped me be a better football player and a better person, and so helping people make these connections. And one of the ways simple ways we did that is through our the naming convention of our flower and instead of the more conventional sativa indica hybrid, we call the more sativa leaning stradients.

Pregame the hybrids halftime in the indicase post game, right, so it's you're a heavy indicata, you pre game the post game exactly. And then and then we've been we've been having fun with the different like straining is really trying to connect the genetics with our favorite athletes. Oh that's dope. Yeah, yeah, I definitely want to check that out. Traditionally someone who was kind of private, but you you really started to open up more with two docks on

a TV game show. Working on a biopic. Who you want to play you? I feel like it's going to be some unknown person that if there was, if there was a famous person, though they're a famous person to play you because he is tough because we have to go to that aide, that age range, and I had like, I don't really know that many actors in that age range. So you're gonna put someone on the map I can. I'm gonna put somebody on. Somebody's gonna just blow us

away into Yeah. Are you obviously more comfortable in the public eye now and and and just kind of freely out here kind of being yourself or is it still kind of like you to still kind of hold back a little bit? Yeah, I'm I'm out there now. I like got to the point where I really yeah, I did, really don't care anymore. It's me. Yeah, take a little

take a leave it. At a certain point in life, like you realize the young people need guidance and if we're trying to pretend to be something else, that's not that's not a good that's not a good example. That's so and that's a shifty way to live. I tell you, be you the best you can be. Is you so hard of being somebody else? That's the hardest thing to do.

Just be yourself. Everyone else is already and and and the people that supposed to be in your life and as supposed to support you and love you, they're gonna be there regardless of who you are. Love. Just be yourself. I had that same awareness when I left. Everybody thought I was crazy, but my experience was this is the happiest I ever been, And so I was like, people in my life that can that are happy that I'm happy, those are my people and people that have a problem

with that. Yeah, writings on the wall. Well, man, we appreciate your time. We're gonna come down to quick hitters being first seen across your mind. Let us know who are some of the people in the cannabis space. Uh, you look up to h right now. The first person that comes to mind is Chris Baulky Ball family farm. That's there for that's as far Yeah, I mean just like Hart and just like what he's what he the opportunity has and what he's doing with it. You know.

He talks about cultivating the culture. And I think sometimes when I when I think about the industry, like it makes me sad sometimes because it's becomes just about like starting to become just about the money. And what I love about what Chris is doing, it's really about the plant. We did a collab with him, yeah about shut out the family and flower something. He's got some ship over there. Yeah. What's the longest time you spent meditating like in one city?

Four hours? Probably? Wow, But that's not a lot, like, that's not that's I got. I got probably close to thirty minutes. But you fall asleep now. But you know when I pray, you know, after I pray, Yeah, yeah, this was like time was up in the him and as like just up there to meditate. That's that's a long time. So when you say that's when you say it's not a long time. What is a long time to someone who is actually in the space and really well to me, people like me honestly, a good meditation

is five minutes. It's just about centering yourself and then because if someone needs to go out in the day, five minutes you're centered. But if you know, I was on retreat. I was like out for a couple of months, and I was trying to like go deeper into myself. And so it's like you sit for five minutes and things like settle down to a certain level. But as you sit there, like more stuff comes to the surface, you know, and then if you can sit there then

that settles. Then just the more time it just gives your ability to just go. So what do you come. I'm someone that's kind of wanting to get what are you actually focusing on? Why you try to if you say, a five power five minute meditation, what so your things are coming to your mind? What do you do to so what the simplest technique. And really what meditation is about is it doesn't really matter what the point of

focus is. So when people when we're playing our sport, we're doing our thing and we're in his own that's the meditation because meditation just means the nature of our mind. It just goes in all these different directions all the time. And meditation is just bringing the medical just bringing it back. It doesn't even matter what the point. Some people use a mantra, some people use their heart or their their head, but it's just having it could be a thought and

idea a person. It's just having one thing that you can bring the mind back to. I mean this is why sports, I think, especially at our level, it's so beneficial because it forces you to learn to meditate. Right, your mind wasn't going what you got a job to do. So the mind is trained to be focused on one So for us, like we know how to meditate, you know, it's just we just got to do something that that has our attention and the mind football focus. But but

that's all meditation. It's just training the mind when it goes here to bring it back here. And then once it's like it gets trained and stops wandering and can sit in one place, and then it becomes more profound. You notice more things. Are there any other things, uh, psilocybin, mushrooms, anything in that psychedelic realm, so to speak, that you feel that can help people. I think all of the

psychedelics because and I consider can to miss psychedelic. It's just miles something you can do more on a daily basis. I think a lot of the other psychedelics they're more like when you gotta flush your system out, you know. But I think that cannabis is more like the daily maintenance. And even the worst psychedelic it means soul revealing, right, revealing ourselves to ourselves or another word they uses intagen is the god within. So I think all of these

substances that's it's the same thing as meditation. It's just getting your mind off the bullshit and just focusing on something that's like more real. Five dinner guests dead are alive, So definitely Bob Sir, definitely Pop And then I'm like Jesus Mohammed and uh ROOMI who's that? He's? Uh? He was a mystic poet talk about him? Yeah, yeah, he's a look good. Yeah. What ortis do you currently have on rotation? And what remusic you best? The best describes

your running style? Two questions? Um, so what do I listen to you right now? Is? I repeat? I just have it? Is Damian Marley. I listened to all of Marley's a lot, but right now and I've just been on Damian for for a minute. Jem rock Yeah yeah, and you're running style? What kind of music is? That's a good one. I think, Uh, like I came up in nineties West Coast hip hop. It's like smooth and then it hits it. Yeah yeah yeah. What's the first thing you do when you wake up and the last

thing you do before you go to sleep? The first thing I do when I wake up is um, I roll up, and then I pray, and then you smoke after you. I smoke after I noticed. I noticed. This morning, I rolled up. I rolled up first, then I went upstairs. Some mornings I prayed first, but this morning I rolled up, then I prayed, then I smoked, and then I read, meditate, um, and before I go to bed, I'm always reading. I read and smoke until I fall asleep. M I pray

that it takes smoke every more. Yeah, if you can see one person on our show, who would it be? But before you answer that, you have to help us get your answer on the show. All right, Janet Ico, Oh that's dope, and she smokes heavy to Jackie Burn. Yes, do you know her? I don't. Hey, we're gonna put a college big. We need both of y'all. Both of you'all big show. There's room for both y'all. Well, man, that's a rap, Ricky Man. We appreciate your time. I'm glad we got a chance to talk to you. Man.

I've been a big fan of yours for a long time. Obviously, I'm a huge football fan. But the game that that you were before your time in the cannabis space, and uh, you know, we're someone like myself and my brother Al Harrington. We really kind of took that Jackson and really kind of continue to push the narrative, man, But I feel like it really started with you, man. I appreciate what you do. We need it, definitely. I'm a Texas boar, so I'm a different type of fan. We got something

for you. Yeah, I always forget that our own merch. Y'all ain't getting his bag, but we got a black back by bar Ricky. You can get it all of all the smoke dot store. There you go what I'm saying for? Here we go, bro, Yeah, a little parting, gifts, sweat soup. Yeah, you fresh with you, step out on and when you're rolling up, just don't get don't ash on it. I was gonna say that's the thing. I don't mind ash I just don't like the brow. Yeah. Man,

that's a rap with our man, Ricky Williams. You can catch all the smoke on Showtime Basketball YouTube and the I Heart platform Black Effects. See y'all next week.