I’m sure a lot of Miami Dolphin fans are positively reeling from Ricky William’s unexpected retirement. The article I linked to, sort of a summary piece, does a good job of creating some perspective. He doesn’t love the game of football, and certainly doesn’t love being a celebrity the way people would expect him to love it. Football has been very financially good to him, and he really doesn’t need to play more seasons. I’ve read his blog sporadically, and was always impressed with his perspective. If he has other interests, and doesn’t really have his heart in football, good for him. It had to be a very difficult decision to make. Professional football is an incredibly dangerous career, and the position of running back is an especially brutal one to play. Did he have a responsibility to the city of Miami and to the Dolphins? I would be upset if the key player on one of my teams just up and quit like this, and there are definitely better ways of dealing with things. On the other hand, his first responsibility is to himself.