Glory is a fictional character originally from Image Comics, and later on from the Awesome Comics comic book series created by Rob Liefeld. The character's full name is Gloriana Demeter, a half-Amazonian, half-Demon warrior.

Rob Liefeld's Glory[link]

Glory was the result of an alliance between the Lady Demeter of the Amazonians and the demon Lord Silverfall of the Underworld. Raised in her mother's world and trained by the Amazonians, she emerged as their finest warrior. However, she also struggled to control the savagery which was her paternal gift/curse. Not at home in either Amazonia or the Underworld, Glorianna went to the world of man.

During World War II, Glorianna fought for the Allied forces against the Nazis, alongside Supreme, another Liefeld creation. For a time she worked with Die-Hard and SuperPatriot as the team called 'Allies'. ^[1] She was part of the second and third Brigade teams with other superheroes. ^[2]

[edit] Alan Moore's Glory

Writer Alan Moore joined Image after leaving DC Comics and spending a period of time working for independent companies. As he did on other Liefeld/Image works like Supreme and Youngblood, Moore relaunched Glory in March 1999 under the Awesome Comics line, blending mythology, adventure, and romance to the superheroine much as he would shortly do in his subsequent series for ABC Comics, Promethea.

In the retooling, Glory takes on a human identity by a waitress named Gloria West, in order to experience humanity. Only one issue was published (#0), but it was eventually republished with two additional issues for Avatar Press in 2001. This version also had a long history, once supervising a team called 'Danger Damsels' decades ago. ^[3]

[edit] Joe Keatinge's Glory

In 2011 it was announced that Joe Keatinge would be the writer for a relaunched Glory ongoing series with artist Ross Campbell. The series was not renumbered and begins at issue #23. Glory's history is retooled, establishing the Amazons and Demons as aliens. Glory was also redesigned to be more muscular and covered in battle scars.

Title history[link]

• Glory (Vol.1) #1–22 (March 1995 – April 1997)
• Glory (Vol.2) #23–present (February 2012 – present )
• Brigade (vol. 2) #17 and #20
• Glory (Awesome Comics) #0
• Glory (Avatar Press) #0–2

References[link]

1. ^ Youngblood: Strikefile #1 (April 1993)
2. ^ "Brigade" One-Shot Vol. 3 (July 2000)
3. ^ Alan Moore's Glory #1 (2001)

External links[link]

• List of the various editions
• Comic Book DB page on Glory

This Image Comics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Look up glory in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Glory

Glory may refer to:

Religion[link]

• Glory (religion), in Judeo-Christian religious tradition, the manifestation of God's presence; see also Hod (Kabbalah)
• Glory, a term in Christian art for a halo surrounding the whole body of a person.
• Glory Be to the Father, also known as Gloria Patri, a Christian prayer, a doxology or short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies
• Glorification, term for the canonization of a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Optics[link]

• Glory (optical phenomenon), an optical phenomenon produced by light reflected toward its source by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets

Music[link]

• "Glory" (single), a single by KMFDM
• "Glory", a 1978 single by Television from the album Adventure
• "Glory! Glory!", a single by Underworld from the 1988 album Underneath the Radar
• Glory (singer), a reggaeton singer
• "The Glory", single from Kanye West's 3rd album Graduation
• "Glory", a song by Audio Adrenaline from their 2001 album Lift
• Glory, an album by Christian rapper Manafest
• Glory (musician), stage name of American rapper James Giddeon
• "Gloria" (Umberto Tozzi/Laura Branigan song)
• "Hope & Glory" (song) by Swedish singer Måns Zelmerlöw
• "Glory", a song by Hollywood Undead on the 2011 album American Tragedy
• "Glory" (Jay-Z song), a 2012 song by American rapper Jay-Z

Film and television[link]

• Glory (1956 film), a film starring Margaret O'Brien, Walter Brennan and Charlotte Greenwood
• Glory (1989 film), a 1989 film depicting the story of a regiment of African-American soldiers in the American Civil War
• Glory (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), or Glorificus, a goddess from a hell dimension on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Hope and Glory (1987 film), a film written and directed by John Boorman, based the film on his own early life experiences of growing up in the Blitz in London during World War II.

Ships[link]

• HMS Glory, the name of various ships of the Royal Navy
• London Glory, the name of three successive tanker ships of London & Overseas Freighters, the last of which is now the Front Glory owned by Frontline Shipping
• Carnival Glory, a Conquest class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line

Games[link]

• Imperial Glory, a computer game about the Napoleonic Wars
• Glory, the Pacific War counterpart to the Europa series of games
• Glory, a board game designed by Richard Berg published by GMT Games

Other uses[link]

• The Glory or the Farr, a king's divine right to rule in Persian mythology
• Glory, a common translation of the Greek term kleos
• Glory (comics), a comic book character in the Image Comics universe
• Glory (novel), a 1932 novel by Vladimir Nabokov
• Glory (satellite), an earth science satellite which failed during launch in March 2011
• Perth Glory FC, an Australian football (soccer) team
• Glory, the ring name of professional wrestler Christie Ricci

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Glory"
• All pages with titles containing "Glory"
• Kleos, Greek word for "glory"
• Glory hole (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Jung Myung-Seok (born February 17, 1945) is the founder of an international organization called Providence in which he identifies himself as the physical imbodiedment of Jesus Christ(God the Son)http://gospelofprovidence.com/2012/05/sun-msg-audio-power-will-come-only-when-you-perfectly-know-the-holy-son-of-the-trinity/. He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee Jung, Joshua Lee, and JMS.^[1]

Since founding his first site in Seoul, South Korea in 1980 Jung has developed his organization into his own religious movement with sites in 50 different nations over the course of the past 30 years. He has also established organizations celebrating culture, peace, and the arts including the Global Association of Culture and Peace (GACP) and Peace Model.

In 1999 Jung was accused of sexual abuse and he was officially charged in 2001.^[2] During that time he fled Korea. He visited churches in Europe and traveled back and forth between various regions of his organization in Asia.^[3] In May 2007 Jung was taken into custody by Chinese police and imprisoned in China for 10 months.^[4][5]

In January 2008, the Supreme Court of South Korea tried Jung using evidence from the testimonies of two young women.^[6][7] In August 2008, Jung was convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment. In April 2009, the Supreme court of South Korea extended the sentence to 10 years imprisonment.^[8] He is currently serving his sentence and still continues to publish proverbs, songs, books, as well as the Sunday and Wednesday message for Providence churches all over the world every week.^[9]

Early biography[link]

Jung was born in a small high altitude mountain village named Sukmak-ri (Wolmyung-dong or Dalbak-gol) in Geumsan County, South Chungcheong as the third child among six sons and one daughter. According to him he began calling out to God at age 6 and attending the local church at 9 years old. His family were very poor farmers. Though his older brothers continued to learn on into high school, his parents pulled him out of school after completing the elementary years to work the fields complaining that it was too expensive to continue his basic education.

He spent all of his early years and teens up in the mountains until 1966, when he was drafted into his first term of service in the Vietnam war. After his first term he returned voluntarily to serve a second term, fulfilling two terms of duty in Vietnam (1966 to 1969). Once his service in Vietnam was complete he returned to his life of prayer and farming in his small hometown village.^[10]

On June 1, 1978 he left his village at 34 years old and went to Seoul, South Korea. There he began his first church which over the course of the last 30 years has grown into the international religious movement known as, "Providence."^[10]

Jung is a former member of the Unification Church.^[11] Jung has learned and use many of Sun Myung Moon teachings and methods. He has used some of Moon's teachings such as Shim Jung to be major themes in his organization.^[12]

In March 1982, he established MS Missionaries (Christian Gospel Mission today). The following November he graduated from Wesley Theological School.^[10]

In 1999, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) in Korea reported about sexual abuse allegedly committed by Jung. This resulted in Jung fleeing the country one day later.^[13] However, accusations surfaced in other countries, and in 2001 he was investigated by Taiwanese authorities causing him to flee Taiwan.^[14]

In February 2001, he founded Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) Volunteer Group. During this period he also founded Global Association of Culture and Peace (GACP), which held large international assemblies to celebrate culture and the arts including modeling, fashion, cheer, and sports. He visited and helped establish the international Providence churches outside of Korea including United States, England, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.^[10][15]

Jung was arrested in 2003 for illegal stay in Hong Kong but when released on bail, fled the extradition hearing.^[16][17] Following this, he managed to evade arrest until May 2007 in China. He was extradited back to South Korea on February 20, 2008.^[18]

Jung’s teachings[link]

Upon his return from China, Jung began preaching that the most urgent thing for this time period is to prepare for the Lord's imminent second coming which Jung states will happen very soon. A common theme in Jung's sermons is that believers should prepare in thier daily life of faith by maintaining a bride level relationship of spiritual love with the Lord as preached in the Matthew 25:1-13^[19]

Providence churches share many of doctrines as most Christian denominations. The difference is members of his movement view his interpretations as direct revelation from God. Most traditional Christian churches interpret scripture to have literal meanings. But according to Jung's interpretation, scripture referring to rapture, resurrection, advent, and even the Lord's second coming shouldn't only be understood to have a physical aspect, but also a figurative and often symbolic aspect. He emphasizes that Jesus speaks in parables in the Bible; that these parables shouldn't be taken literally, but that there is a deeper meaning and instruction for life found within useing Jung's interpretations. He also stresses that the Lord Jesus Christ will not come back in his physical body at the second coming, but will come in spirit and must be received in spirit.^[20]

Controversies over Jung's trial and conviction[link]

Secular organisations[link]

Members of the church are known to form non-religious organisations for the purpose of attracting young people without initially revealing the religious nature of the group or their real motives,^[21] in a practice which has been described as "fraudulent" by lawyers.^[22][23]

Media broadcasts and news reports found biased in court decision[link]

When rape allegations against Jung from anonymous accusers surfaced, the news media broadcasts in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as well as the articles printed in newspaper tabloids published the sensational material labeling Jung a criminal even before a formal accusation had been made and it labeled the organization of Providence as a cult.

A monthly magazine, Civil Government, published an article in its February issue, under the title, “Why is JMS (CGM)’s President Jung Myung Seok carrying the cross?” and listed the problems of his trials, item by item. Cha, an active journalist who had been following the case and frequenting police stations for eleven years reported the following:

Jung's accusers refused to give their identity remaining unnamed and the journalists did not interview anyone from the church resulting in one sided reporting. The Media’s biased report was found to be legally wrongful at that time. In Korea, Providence church filed a suit against the Korean news and the court ruled in favor of the church, ordering the following: 1) the media must not use one-sided material provided by the informer and others; 2) the media must inform the organization 48 hours before broadcasting; 3) the media must guarantee 5% of the broadcasting time to [the Church] so that their rebuttal will also be aired; 4) if these orders are violated, the media must pay damages in the amount of 30 million won (about the equivalent of $30,000) for each violation. The court decision acknowledging the media’s errors and biased reporting was not made widely known to viewers. But a similar case was filed in Taiwan and the Taiwanese news media that broadcasted the report made a public apology.^[1][9]

Problems during Jung's trial[link]

The magazine Civil Government also reported several reasons to doubt the validity of the testimonies given by Jung's initial accusers during the trial,

Response[link]

In response to the rape allegations, Providence pastor^[24] Bae Jae-yong said that it was "distorted rumor that was created by the people who have slandered him" and that "all fundamental truth will be clarified by [Jung] at the prosecutor's office".^[18] (This was before he was convicted.)

Events in 2006 - 2007[link]

In April 2006, a press conference was held by EXODUS in which four unidentified women accused Jung of organised sex crimes against themselves and other women.^[25] which necessitated medical treatment.^[26] But according to Cha, the journalist who investigated the case for 11 years, the "informer" played the role of filing complaints on behalf of the plaintiffs behind the scenes and even wrote a letter of confession apologizing to Jung Myung Seok in which he said,

The letter was hand-written by "the informer" himself, including his seal and photo. He even had the letter authenticated before he sent it to the Church’s central office.

In January 2007, police raided a total of 8 Providence facilities in Japan on suspicion a senior member illegally obtained residence status.^[27] The senior member, second in command of Providence's Japanese branch, fled to Taiwan according to law authorities. Taiwan has no criminal extradition treaty with Japan.^[28]

The court relied only on the testimony of the plaintiffs and not on any evidence presented. It was revealed that the plaintiffs made up evidence to exaggerate and falsify. Even though it was exposed that the witnesses were unsavory enough to concoct evidence in an attempt to strengthen their argument, the judges accepted the charges brought by the plaintiffs.^[9]

Prison sentence and possibility of retrial[link]

In August 2008, Jung was sentenced to six years imprisonment. In April 2009, the Supreme court of South Korea extended the sentence to 10 years imprisonment. In the event Jung’s side files a motion for retrial based on the new evidences or material that could reverse the previous finding, seeking acquittal, it is expected that this case may be placed at a stage where it seeks a new ruling through a retrial. However, since the prosecutor’s office and the court stand behind the accusations of the plaintiffs and the informer, with the court ruling in their favor, it is unknown whether this case can be reversed at retrial.^[1]

Current Situation[link]

He is currently serving his sentence and still continues to publish proverbs, songs, books, as well as the Sunday and Wednesday message for Providence churches all over the world every week.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jung Myung Seok

• Wikinews Four Korean women accuse JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok of rape
• Providence Trial - English language Providence related website authored by various members internationally
• JMSCult.com Forums English Internet website about JMS (critical)
• Apologetics Index - Jung Myung Seok entry
• Freedom of Mind Center
• Collection of published news articles on Rick Ross's cult awareness site

Ricky Williams

Williams with the Dolphins in 2009.
No. 34
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1977-05-21) May 21, 1977 (age 35)
Place of birth: San Diego, California
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight: 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school: Patrick Henry High School San Diego, California
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Debuted in 1999 for the New Orleans Saints
Last played in 2011 for the Baltimore Ravens
Career history
New Orleans Saints (1999–2001) Miami Dolphins (2002–2003, 2005) Toronto Argonauts (2006) Miami Dolphins (2007–2010) Baltimore Ravens (2011)
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (1997, 1998) Doak Walker Award (1997, 1998) Jim Brown Trophy (1997, 1998) Walter Camp Award (1998) Maxwell Award (1998) Heisman Trophy (1998) AP College Player of the Year (1998) Pro Bowl (2002) All-Pro (2002) NFL Rushing Leader (2002) Pro Bowl MVP (2002) 10,000 Rushing Yards Club
Career NFL statistics as of 2011
Rushing yards 10,009 Average 4.1 Rushing Touchdowns 66 Receptions 342 Receiving yards 2,606 Receiving Touchdowns 8 Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. (born May 21, 1977) is a former American football running back who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Texas, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He played for the Dolphins for three seasons, and retired for the first time from football in 2004. Due to his suspension from the NFL in 2006, he played for the Toronto Argonauts in 2006. He re-joined the Dolphins in 2007 and played with them until 2010, and spent the 2011 season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Early life[link]

Williams was born (with his twin sister Cassandra) in San Diego, California, to 19-year old Sandy Williams and her husband, 18-year old Errick Williams.^[1] Growing up middle-class, his parents divorced in 1983 and Williams, at the age of 5, was taking care of his sisters by putting them to bed and even cooking for them.^[1] Perhaps due to his broken home and the fact that his father was gone at such an early age, Williams suffered from anger issues that eventually led his mother to send him to counseling.^[1] He also struggled academically, despite a test he took as a six-year old which revealed that he had the intelligence of someone twice his age.^[1] Williams himself once said, "I was always very bright, but not necessarily a hard worker. I think I was in eighth grade when I became really focused as a student and started getting good grades."^[1] By high school Williams was an honor roll student and was named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic team.^[1]

At San Diego's Patrick Henry High School, Williams primarily played baseball and football in addition to running track. Williams also wrestled, notably losing a match to future NCAA champion and three-time Super Bowl champion Stephen Neal.^[2]

Entering high school at 5'9" and 155 pounds, Williams added an additional 25 pounds of weight before his junior season.^[1] Due to his love of physical contact, Williams played outside linebacker and strong safety in addition to his primary position of running back.^[1] During his high school career he rushed for a total of 4,129 yards and 55 touchdowns, and in his senior season he ran for 2,099 yards and 25 touchdowns, totals which earned him the San Diego Union-Tribune's 1994 Player of the Year award.^[1] Among his senior year performances were a 200-yard effort in a loss to Helix High School, a 248-yard (on 24 carries) and three-touchdown game in a 26-3 win at Chula Vista, a 215-yard (21 carries) and two-touchdown showing in a 13-3 win against Mira Mesa, a 143-yard (18 carries) and two-touchdown game in a 28-10 victory over Point Loma, and a 129-yard (24 carries) and one-touchdown game against top-ranked Morse which included Williams totaling 47 of the 69 yards Patrick Henry accumulated during the game-winning drive in a 20-17 upset.^[1] Two weeks after the win over Morse, Patrick Henry clinched its first Eastern League title in 11 years with a 21-12 win against San Diego High School; Williams appeared to be on his way to a record-setting performance with 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter of the game but suffered a leg injury on the third play of the second quarter. After being helped off the field he re-entered the game and attempted one more carry but had to be carried off the field again, finished for the day.^[1] Following two weeks of rest, Williams was able to suit up in the first round of the CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs against San Dieguito and, playing through pain from the leg injury, post 94 yards on 25 carries in a 15-14 win.^[1] In the second round Williams ran for 110 yards in a 21-17 victory over Rancho Buena Vista, propelling Patrick Henry into the championship game at Jack Murphy Stadium for a rematch with Morse.^[1] However, in the title game Patrick Henry lost 13-0 and Williams would be held to a season-low 46 yards, with his team amassing just 62 yards of total offense.^[1]

College career[link]

Williams accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas, where he played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1995 to 1998. Williams holds or shares 20 NCAA records, and became the NCAA Division I-A career rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards (broken one year later by University of Wisconsin's Ron Dayne). Williams had a sensational senior season, highlighted by rushing for nine touchdowns and 385 yards in the season's first two games; rushing for 318 yards and six touchdowns against Rice; rushing for 350 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa State; and rushing for 150 yards against Nebraska's Black Shirt defense. He helped beat longtime rival Oklahoma rushing for 166 rushing yards and two scores.

Williams broke the NCAA career rushing record during the annual rivalry game held the day after Thanksgiving (this particular year fell on November 27, 1998) between Texas and Texas A&M. Needing only 11 yards to break Tony Dorsett's 22-year old NCAA Division 1-A all-time rushing record (6,082), Williams approached the line of scrimmage with 1:13 left in the first quarter; taking the handoff, Williams spun through massive clearing blocks by left tackle Leonard Davis and left guard Roger Roesler. After surging past Texas A&M linebacker Warrick Holdman, Williams took advantage of a lead block by fullback Ricky Brown. That pushed him into the secondary as he streaked down the left sideline. Williams then powered through a tackle attempt by Texas A&M safety Rich Coady at the A&M 12. He then took advantage of a devastating downfield block by wide receiver Wane McGarrity, barging past cornerback Jason Webster's desperate tackle at the end zone.

The game was briefly stopped while Williams received the game ball and was honored by a group of dignitaries including Dorsett. Williams' record-breaking run gave Texas a 10-0 lead in its eventual 26-24 upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M. He finished the game racking up 259 yards on a career-high 44 carries. He broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively (topped one year later by Miami University's Travis Prentice), and rushed for 200 or more yards in twelve different games (an NCAA record he shares with Dayne and USC's Marcus Allen). Williams won the 64th Heisman Trophy, becoming the second Texas Longhorn to win this honor, joining Earl Campbell.

Williams was sometimes known as the "Texas Tornado."^[3]

College statistics[link]

Source: [1]

• Note that table includes Williams' performances in bowl games, which prior to 2002 were not included in official NCAA career statistics.

Professional career[link]

New Orleans Saints[link]

Williams was selected as the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Mike Ditka traded all of the Saints' 1999 draft picks to the Washington Redskins to get Williams, as well as first- and third-round picks the following year. This was the first time one player was the only draft pick of an NFL team. Williams and Ditka posed for the cover of ESPN The Magazine as a bride and a groom with the heading "For Better or for Worse." Master P's (a.k.a. Percy Miller's) organization "No Limit Sports" negotiated his contract, which was largely incentive-laden; he received an $8M-plus signing bonus with salary incentives potentially worth from $11 million to $68 million should he hit all of his incentives, with most of them requiring higher than top-level production to attain.^[4] The contract was criticized by legions of people, both sports agents and writers, who realized that Williams' position entitled him to much more in guaranteed money.^[5] Williams later fired "No Limit Sports" and made Leigh Steinberg his agent. Ditka was later fired for the team's poor performance.

Williams spent three seasons (1999–2001) with the Saints. He was moderately successful there, with two 1000 yard seasons in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 he rushed for exactly 1000 yards and scored nine total touchdowns in 10 games. He missed the team's last 6 games and the playoffs due to injury. The Saints finished the 2000 regular season with a 10-6 record and won the franchise's first ever playoff game against the St. Louis Rams. Williams' most successful statistical season with the team came the next year in 2001, when he rushed for 1245 yards, 8th in the NFL. He also caught 60 passes for 511 yards. It would be his last season with the Saints.

Miami Dolphins[link]

First stint[link]

Williams during his first stint with the Dolphins.

Williams was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2002 for four draft picks, including two first-round picks. In 2002, his first season with the Dolphins, he was the NFL's leading rusher with 1,853 yards, a First-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.

Williams was noted for his dreadlocks hair style, but he shaved them off during a trip to Australia. His shyness made Williams appear somewhat of an odd ball. "Ricky's just a different guy," former Saints receiver Joe Horn explained. "People he wanted to deal with, he did. And people he wanted to have nothing to do with, he didn't. No one could understand that. I don't think guys in the locker room could grasp that he wanted to be to himself - you know, quiet. If you didn't understand him and didn't know what he was about, it always kept people in suspense." Besides keeping to himself, Williams was known for conducting post-game interviews with his helmet on (complete with tinted visor) and avoiding eye contact. Williams was later diagnosed with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder.

Early retirement from football[link]

Miami Dolphins fans, displeased with Ricky Williams' drug-related suspension and subsequent retirement from the NFL in 2004, block out his name on their jerseys.

It was announced on May 14, 2004 that he tested positive for marijuana in December 2003 and faced a $650,000 fine and a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He previously tested positive for marijuana shortly after he joined the Dolphins, along with former punter Andrew Tomasjewski. Shortly before training camp was to begin in July 2004, Williams publicly disclosed his intent to retire from professional football.

Rumored to have failed a third drug test before announcing his retirement, Williams made his retirement official on August 2, 2004. Williams was ineligible to play for the 2004 season, and studied Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine, at the California College of Ayurveda that autumn in Grass Valley, California. The Dolphins finished the year with a 4-12 record.

Williams maintains that he does not regret the retirement decision. He thinks that it was the "most positive thing" he has ever done in his life, allowing him time to find himself.^[6]

Return to football[link]

Williams at the 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

Williams officially returned to the Dolphins on July 24, 2005, paid back a percentage of his signing bonus and completed his four game suspension for substance abuse. At his return press conference, Williams expressed his apologies for leaving the team two days before the start of training camp, which had contributed to the Dolphins' having their worst season in years, only winning four games in the 2004 season. Williams finished with six touchdowns and a 4.4 yards per carry average on 168 carries and 743 yards during 2005. While he shared time with Ronnie Brown, he did run for 172 yards in week 16, and 108 yards in the 17th week.

On February 20, 2006, the football league announced that Williams had violated the NFL drug policy for the fourth time. His mother reportedly said she did not think it was another marijuana violation, and that he may have been in India when he was supposed to be tested. On April 25, 2006, Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 season. It has been suggested that the substance may have been a herb related to his interest in holistic medicine.^[7]

Toronto Argonauts[link]

With Williams suspended for the entire 2006 NFL season, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts decided to put Williams on the negotiation list for the 2006 season.^[8] This guaranteed that the team would become the rightful CFL organization to negotiate with Williams if his NFL contract were to be terminated at any time.^[9] The Dolphins allowed Williams to play for the Argonauts on the condition that he would return to them in 2007.^[10]

On May 28, 2006 Williams became the highest-paid running back in the CFL when he signed a one-year C$240,000 contract with the Argonauts. He chose to wear the number 27 on his jersey.^[11]

The signing drew the ire of former Argonauts quarterback Joe Theismann. On May 30, 2006, Theismann was interviewed by Toronto radio station The Fan 590 whereupon he criticized the Argonauts for signing the suspended Williams. Theismann claimed he was disgraced to be associated with a team that would knowingly sign "an addict" such as Williams. The CFL had no substance-abuse policy currently in place, nor did it prohibit its teams from signing players suspended from other leagues, despite Williams being under contract with the Dolphins for the 2006 season.^[12]

The Argonauts' ownership responded to Theismann's criticism, noting that Theismann's son, Joe, pleaded guilty in 2002 to a felony charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. He received a 10-year suspended prison term, was placed on five years of probation and fined. "It's really a delicate subject for him to attack someone if he has that in his own family," Argo co-owner Cynamon said. "If I was his son and he's calling [Williams] a drug addict and he should quit and he's a loser, I'd be shattered. This thing is really bothersome."^[13]

Williams made his official CFL debut on June 17, 2006, in a home game against the Tiger-Cats at the Rogers Centre. In that game, he rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries, with his longest carry for 35 yards in the fourth quarter. Williams caught two passes for 24 yards as the Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats by a score of 27-17.

On July 22, 2006, Williams suffered a broken bone in his left arm during a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Saskatchewan.^[14] He underwent surgery on July 23, 2006 to repair the broken bone.^[15] Shortly after injuring his arm, Williams' suffered yet another injury after a door at the Argonauts' practice facility swung behind him and clipped the running back on his left achilles tendon requiring 16 stitches to close the gash.^[16] During his recovery, Williams received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in St. Catharines, Ontario to expedite his return from injury.^[17] In all, Williams missed two months of game action because of the injuries, returning on September 23, 2006 against the Calgary Stampeders.

In the 11 games that he played during 2006 CFL regular season, Williams rushed 109 times for 526 yards, scoring two touchdowns, with a long run of 35 yards. He caught 19 passes for 127 yards.^[18]

Williams stated his love for Toronto and mentioned the possibility of returning to the Canadian game during his professional career. "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here," Williams said. "Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here."^[19] In another interview, he expressed further desire to remain in the CFL, "If I came back here, you can put me anywhere," he says. "Up here, I can play offense, defense, special teams. I can do everything. I can block, play tight end, running back, receiver — even play the line. The NFL is so structured — 'You do this.' Here I can do so much."^[20]

With the controversy over, the Argonauts signing Williams prompted outgoing CFL commissioner Tom Wright, in his final state of the league address, to introduce a new rule that would come in effect before the start of the 2007 CFL season that would prevent a player under suspension in the NFL from signing with a CFL club. This rule has been informally dubbed "The Ricky Williams Rule."

The new rule, however, was grandfathered so that players who were still playing in the league, such as Argonaut tackle Bernard Williams, who was suspended by the NFL for drug abuse and did not seek reinstatement when the ban ended, could continue playing.^[21][22]

Return to Miami[link]

On May 11, 2007, an anonymous source reported that Williams had failed a drug test again. The source indicated that NFL medical advisors have recommended to the commissioner that Williams not be allowed to apply for reinstatement in September.^[23]

Williams adhered to a strict regimen of multiple drug tests per week in 2007 as part of his attempt to be reinstated by the NFL. He practiced yoga, which, he claimed, helped him to stop using marijuana.^[24] In October 2007, Roger Goodell granted his request for reinstatement. Williams returned for a Monday Night Football game on November 26, 2007. He rushed 6 times for 15 yards before Lawrence Timmons, a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, stepped on his right shoulder, tearing his pectoral muscle. The next day it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season,^[25] and on November 28, Williams was placed on injured reserve.

In the 2009 season, Dolphins starting running back Ronnie Brown suffered a season-ending injury and Williams became the starter for the remainder of the season. He reached 1,000 yards rushing in Week 15 and set an NFL record for longest span between 1,000-yard seasons at 6 years. He was 27 the last time he ran over 1000 yards and was 32 in 2009 when he broke the record and sported a respectable 4.7 yards per carry that year while splitting duties.

In the 2010 season Williams carried 159 times for 673 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Dolphins while splitting duties averaging 4.2 yards a carry at the age of 33.^[26]

Baltimore Ravens[link]

Williams signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on August 8, 2011.^[27] Williams scored his first touchdown of the season against the Houston Texans on October 16. On January 1, 2012, Williams surpassed the 10,000 career rushing yards mark and became the 26th player in the history of the NFL to do so.^[28] On February 7, 2012, Williams informed the Ravens of his retirement from the NFL.^[29]

Personal life[link]

Williams has admitted being very shy and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, avoidance disorder, and borderline personality disorder,^[30] with which he struggled to cope during his football career. Williams was treated with therapy and medication.

Williams was briefly a spokesperson for the drug Paxil as treatment. He worked with the drug company GlaxoSmithKline to educate the public about the disorder.^[31] Williams later quit Paxil saying the drug did not agree with his diet.

Williams said that his marijuana use was a type of "psychotherapy," ^[32] has been a better treatment since it produced fewer side effects than Paxil.^[33] In an interview with ESPN, Williams stated, "Marijuana is 10 times better for me than Paxil."

Williams admitted in a 60 Minutes interview that one of the reasons for his retirement was to avoid the humiliation of his marijuana use being made public with his third failed drug test.^[34] After his retirement he quickly went to California to get a prescription for medical marijuana. In 2006 he claimed he no longer needs marijuana but does not criticize others' choices on the matter.^[35] In April 2007, he reportedly tested positive for marijuana.^[23]

Williams is a qualified yoga instructor. He has stated that one of his main reasons for joining the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts was for the opportunity to teach free yoga lessons at a local Toronto yoga facility. He is Hindu.^[36] It has been reported that Williams uses a Hindu-based pranic healing similar to therapeutic touch to recover from injuries.^[37]

Williams is the father of five children by three different women. He married his long-time girlfriend Kristin Barnes on September 4, 2009.^[38] Williams is a vegan, and a supporter of PETA.^{[39][40][41][42][43]}

In the media[link]

• He appeared in an infomercial for Natural Golf alongside Mike Ditka and appeared alongside him in a wedding dress on the cover of Sports Illustrated.^[44]
• HBO's Inside the NFL had a skit about Williams trying to return to the Dolphins. It featured him trying to raise $8.6 million, avoiding drug tests, and even asking Dan Marino to return with him.
• His likeness appeared on the cover of the original NFL Street, Williams did not appear in the sequel, NFL Street 2.
• He played a cameo role in the feature film Stuck on You
• He makes an appearance on the third season of the physical reality game show, Pros vs. Joes on SpikeTV
• He is the subject of an ESPN Films documentary entitled "Run Ricky Run". It is part of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series.

See also[link]

• List of doping cases in sport
• List of Division I FBS rushing touchdown leaders

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

• Ricky Williams on Twitter
• Earl Campbell at the Heisman Trophy
• Minor League Baseball stats
• CNNSI.com Draft Video