Ex-NFL star Ricky Williams finds sympathy from Damian Lillard amid claims he was ‘treated like El Chapo’

Ricky Williams has a new friend in Damian Lillard. Former NFL running back, Williams, has been a proponent of the medical use of marijuana ever since his playing days when he used it as a treatment for his anxiety. He was suspended multiple times for the drug, and, according to his estimates, lost around $10 million in both salary and endorsements because of it.

However, he has redeemed himself in retirement, establishing his own herbal company and positively speaking about the medical use of marijuana. On Saturday afternoon US time, star NBA point guard Damian Lillard reposted a tweet by Super 70s Sports about Williams and his association with the drug with a caption that said 'for real':

What is Real Wellness? A closer look at Ricky Williams' herbal medicine line

In 2017, five years after his retirement, Williams founded Real Wellness, a line of cannabis-based herbal products. Its goal, as is detailed on its company page, is to "tap into the potent power of herbs to catalyze the mind, body and spirit into balance and activate the body to heal itself naturally."

Speaking to Cannabis Aficionado in 2020, he discussed the origins of the company:

When I returned to play football in the NFL for another five or six years, instead of going to doctors when I got banged up I would go to my acupuncturist, I’d go to my herbal product store. You know, I’d just take care of myself. So, when I started thinking about doing something in a cannabis space, I looked around and realized people are talking about medicinal marijuana but you’d go to a dispensary and it’s just THC and CBD and there are no herbs in there."

He added:

"When they are combined, their synergistic effects they can be more powerful and more specific. I realized there’s a void in the market for truly medicinal herbal supplements with cannabis. So, let’s see if we can fill this void and that’s how we started."

Looking back at Ricky Williams' NFL career

Ricky Williams played 11 seasons in the NFL

After an outstanding collegiate career at Texas where he broke the NCAA's rushing yards record and consequently won multiple awards, including the Heisman trophy, Ricky Williams was drafted fifth overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1999. Head coach Mike Ditka, who had wanted to move up from 12th, notoriously traded away all the Saints' picks that year, as well as two of their picks for the following year, to acquire the rights to the running back.

After three years as a Saint, Williams was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. In his first year with his new team, he set franchise records for rushing yards (1,853) and rushing touchdowns (16), both of which still stand as of 2023. He also made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro 1st team.

During the 2004 offseason, Williams tested positive for marijuana and was suspended. He subsequently retired, only to return the following year. He then tested positive again shortly after the season, was suspended, and signed with the Toronto Argonauts in Canada. He eventually returned to the Dolphins in 2007 and retired in 2012 after a stint in Baltimore.

In the same interview with Cannabis Aficionado, Williams spoke about the first time he used herbs to facilitate his recovery from injury:

I started [playing football] early, in high school taking pain pills so I would be good to play sports. And by 18 years I had my first ulcer from taking too many pain pills. When I got into the NFL I had further difficulties taking pharmaceuticals. And so I started looking to find alternative ways to take care of myself that would serve me in the long run."

He added:

"The first time I took an herb to help myself, I’d broke my arm while playing football. they gave me morphine after surgery to repair my arm and it made me kind of sick. My neighbor told me about arnica. I took a little bit, not that much, and I literally was pain-free a few days after surgery. It dawned on me how powerful herbs can be."