Pubdate: Thu, 01 Jun 2006
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Hamilton Spectator
Contact:  http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181
Author: Scott Radley
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ricky+Williams (Ricky Williams)

UP NEXT, HE'LL WALK ON WATER

Press Has Gushed Over Saint Ricky But What Lesson Does This Teach

That Ricky Williams sure is neat, isn't he?

Listening to the Toronto Argonauts brain trust sloppily suck up to 
their new running back would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic. 
And when you throw in so many members of the Toronto media who are 
fawning over the repeatedly suspended yogi like correspondents for 
Teen Beat magazine reporting on the Back Street Boys, you almost 
start wondering where their reporting ends and where their man-crush begins.

Ricky's so fast, they coo. Ricky's such a swell guy, they gush. When 
Ricky takes off, he runs as with the very wings of Mercury on his 
feet, they giggle. And did you hear he does yoga? Isn't that just 
neat. He's sooooo cool.

Anybody got a barf bag?

This whole exercise is an amazing demonstration of what a little 
injection of situational ethics will do. Because you may recall that 
many of the same media folks and sports fans who are now worshipping 
at the great man's feet were ripping the hide off Barry Bonds just a 
day or two before. And shaking their heads at the San Francisco fans 
for loving him despite his obvious misdeeds.

Problem is, as unsavory and tainted as Bonds' accomplishments are in 
the opinion of most, he never actually broke the rules of baseball. 
He may have used some substance or substances that were illegal in 
society. He may have lied under oath to a grand jury. His attitude 
may have you wanting to see him take a hard line drive in the gonads.

But since the game had no rules banning steroids until this year, he 
could've been injecting himself with pure ethanol throughout his 
career and he still technically would've been playing within the rules.

Williams on the other hand wasn't. He knew the NFL had rules against 
taking drugs. He knew marijuana was on that banned list. Yet he used 
often enough to get busted three times. And then he used something 
as-yet-unnamed to earn a fourth suspension.

Unlike Bonds, he did break the clearly defined rules of his game.

So why are so few really taking the preachy Argos to task for turning 
ethics into moving targets? This is a team, after all, that says it 
wants kids not to do drugs, then grabs the sport's most notorious 
drug user the second he comes available. And this is a team that says 
it wants kids not to make bad decisions, then shows that there are no 
real consequences in doing so.

The answer lies in the fact that many of those commenting on this are 
busy injecting some situational ethics of their own. It's just pot, 
they say. Everyone smokes it. Relax.

Well, believe it or not, not everyone does toke up. Many people still 
believe it's harmful. Furthermore, it's illegal in Florida where he 
did it. And frankly, their thoughts on dope don't matter anyway. All 
that matters is that it was against the rules of the league in which 
he was employed and he did it anyway. Players don't get to pick and 
choose which rules they follow any more than you or I do in our workplace.

On top of that, the Boatmen -- whose breathless descriptions of 
Williams make the pope look like a jerk by comparison -- don't seem 
to have a problem inking a guy who's under suspension by another 
league, who's already under contract to another team, and who once 
walked out on his team right before the season started, devastating 
the franchise and hurting every one of his teammates.

At least it's nice to know that when the Arena League signs away a 
player who's under contract to the Argos sometime in the future, the 
Toronto brass won't mind. And when one of their franchise players 
who's suspended in the CFL for some infraction goes and plays 
somewhere else risking injury, they won't complain. And when a player 
around whom they've built their team bolts, they'll be OK with that. 
And when another team blows the heck out of the imaginary salary cap 
- -- again -- they won't say a word.

And those members of their glassy-eyed media, who are apparently in 
some kind of quest to set the record for most pitiful fawning over an 
athlete, won't raise any objection next time an athlete breaks a 
clearly defined rule he decides is optional for him.

Now go ahead and say this is just sour grapes coming from Hamilton. 
After all, this wouldn't be an issue if he was wearing black and gold 
instead of double blue, right? Because we never criticize the home 
team, do we? (Come read our e-mails sometime if you believe that.)

No, what it really shows is that some people -- including a few 
holdouts in Toronto -- aren't willing to turn a blind eye to 
athletes' misbehaviour simply because they're fast or strong or 
talented or rich or good-looking or famous.

While everyone deserves a second chance -- or third or fourth or 
fifth -- they don't necessarily deserve it immediately. You break the 
rules, you should be expected to pay your penalty. Then come back.

You shouldn't spend the duration of your suspension having your ego 
stroked by a puerile citizenry and a toadying media.

But get used to it. This week, one writer raved about Williams 
mountainous calves, praises his graceful Rockette-like nimbleness and 
managed to drop his name in the same sentence with Mother Teresa, 
Nelson Mandela and Terry Fox. All after just one workout.

Can't wait to see the writeup after Williams turns water into wine 
during halftime.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman