WILLIAMS' SISTER DEFENDS DECISION

AUSTIN - The younger sister of Ricky Williams said she's certain news of a
third failed NFL drug test by her brother will convince everyone that's the
only reason he retired from football. But she said that couldn't be further
from the truth.

"He no longer wants to live in fear," said Nisey Williams, 24, who will
attend graduate school in Miami this fall because her brother is paying for
it. "So he is opening up about everything and not living a lie.

"I'd rather him not be this honest and this candid. But it's his actions
and his choice to speak out. Now people are going to have the total wrong
idea about him and why he's retiring. After today, I don't even want to
defend him anymore because people don't want to listen to the truth
anymore. People think he's weird, so that will be the easy answer. They'll
believe what they want to believe. But they don't know him and should quit
judging him."

Nisey Williams said people aren't interested in hearing how her brother
recently sold his Ferrari and Hummer and donated the money to a local
school in Miami in need of financial help.

She said she worries that Thursday's revelation in the Miami Herald - that
Ricky Williams learned of a third failed NFL drug test just days before
announcing his retirement - will affect his dreams of becoming a teacher or
coach one day.

Judging her brother for using marijuana is hypocritical, she said, because
the NFL is constantly handing out painkillers that players become addicted to.

"What bothers me most is that there's nothing my brother's done that hasn't
been done by other athletes before," she said. "Other players have retired
early from their sport. Other players have smoked marijuana, and Dennis
Rodman even wore a wedding dress, so there's nothing new here.

"The good news is, Ricky doesn't care what people think anymore. He's happy
with his decision, and that's one reason he's being so open about everything."