Ex-NFL star Ricky Williams talks the importance of cannabis

SAN DIEGO – Might is Psychological Well being Consciousness Month. For Patrick Henry Excessive College alum and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, it’s a time he displays on his personal private development.

The previous NFL working again has lengthy struggled with social anxieties, carving his personal path by means of hashish to heal his physique and thoughts. Williams is understood by many as one of many fiercest working backs from the NFL within the final century, however his fame didn’t come with out controversy.

Some might bear in mind Williams for his two NFL suspensions that stemmed from violating the league’s strict marijuana coverage on the time.

“I have a look at the choice and yeah, there’s a superb probability if I wouldn’t have gone down this path I could be within the Corridor of Fame, however so what?” Williams mentioned. “I additionally thought in my creativeness that if I’d gone down that path, my bodily and psychological well being wouldn’t be what it’s at this time. I wouldn’t have the power to evangelise my new message from the mountain tops.”

Williams says he thought he can be the “subsequent Tony Gwynn.”

“I bear in mind being 7 years outdated listening to the Padres on the radio. I used to be an enormous baseball fan,” he mentioned.  

As an alternative of professionally pursuing America’s pastime, the 11-year NFL veteran completed his profession with greater than 10,000 speeding yards and 74 touchdowns.

When requested about his ideas on the present insurance policies throughout all main leagues, with regard to permitting hashish for use, he responded by saying:

“You bought to have a look at the historical past, the battle on medicine actually intensified within the ’80s, and similar to in any battle, there are casualties however that additionally requires a time for therapeutic. So I believe within the leagues, the final 20 years they’ve been punishing individuals fairly harshly for utilizing and now I believe it’s fairly tough to only hastily say they’re not going to try this anymore. They’ve softened their punishments and testing necessities so it’s shifting in that route.”

The 1998 Heisman trophy winner is now pursuing a brand new enterprise in retirement: Highsman, a hashish way of life model that launched in October 2021.

“It’s about elevating the dialog as a result of my private expertise with hashish was very completely different than what individuals advised me,” Williams mentioned. “My expertise is one that truly helped me and improved the standard of my life relatively than destroy it like I used to be initially advised.”

Williams provides that he visits San Diego often and has by no means been happier.