Ricky Williams Fails 2nd Drug Test

[Guest The Man They Call Puke]

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams faces a $650,000 fine following his second violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, the Palm Beach Post reported Friday.

According to the report, Williams failed a drug test on Dec. 10, 2003. This follows a prior failed test soon after he arrived in Miami after being traded from the New Orleans Saints in May 2002.

When reached by the paper, Williams claimed his status with the league was clear.

"I'm in good standing with the NFL and the Dolphins," Williams told the Post.

Sources, however, told the Post that Williams appealed the fine for this latest apparent transgression at the NFL headquarters in New York City on April 16. Williams denied that his visit to NFL headquarters was related to a drug policy violation.

"There is no story here," he told the Post. "I was in New York a few weeks ago and I did visit the league headquarters. I guess that's how rumors get started. But I was just visiting friends in the city and I just decided to go in. I will be at training camp on Tuesday."

According to the report, the Post saw NFL documents that showed Williams' attorney, Gary Ostrow, had filed arguments with the league over the fairness of its drug testing policy. Williams reportedly scored a 15 on the league's testing scale -- the lowest score that would register as a positive test result and one that, according to the report, is consistent with occasional marijuana use. A second sample taken later on Dec. 10 scored a 14 -- a level that would not have warranted league action without an initial positive result, according to the Post.

"Ricky is pretty confident he's going to beat this thing," one source told the paper. "When he took the test, for example, he was dehydrated after exercising. Dehydration sometimes causes people who would be negative to test positive."

Dr. Gary Wadler, a New York University professor and doping expert, told the Post that he has never heard of dehydration being successfully used as a drug defense.

"Clearly, athletes will search every method they can, including analyzing each rule very precisely, the handling of the sample and the validity of the laboratory," Wadler said. "But marijuana is not a substance that occurs normally in the body and the only argument you can really make is passive inhalation. But for a cutoff above that level? You smoked. And you inhaled."

The Post reports that the NFL is expected to make a decision on Williams' appeal at the end of May.

Williams also denied to the paper that he is in a league intervention program stemming from a first positive test, but that stance is contradicted by one of the paper's sources.

"He was just weeks away from getting off the intervention program," one of the sources said. "Officially, he would have been off intervention on Super Bowl Sunday. He has tested negative more than 100 times before. But then, this thing happened. He now gets back into intervention for another two years."

Per the NFL's substance abuse policy, a third violation for Williams would result in a four-game suspension.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1802049

Thats a huge fine, but he deserves it... Dolphins fans just better hope he doesnt get caught a 3rd time.

[Hugar Twriker Eats Spam]

another example as how Deuce is better than Williams

[Guest NYJetFan86]

i hope he gets caught a 3rd time and he gets suspended indefinately

[IAceI]

The first ever NFL match i saw he was on fire, he got MVP and was simply amazing.

I just lost alot of respect for him.

[SlickNick187]

Being a Dolphins fan, this pisses me off. If he gets caught a third time, I'm gonna kill him. Cause Travis Minor is the man, but I doubt he could duplicate Ricky. Hell, if the Dolphins offensive lines sucks again this year, then it won't matter who is the running back cause even Ricky had trouble with the line last year.

[Guest Hit Man 3120]

He's a been fuckin nut case ever since he came outta Texas. One more and thats 4 games