WILLIAMS DEAL ALL BUT DONE: AGENT

Damien Cox Says Troubled Running Back Ricky Williams Is About To Join
The Argos And Promises To Be A Good Player, A Humble Teammate And An
Anti-Drug Crusader

It was nearly 30 years ago when Leigh Steinberg first directed
football talent to Toronto.

"That just shows you how old I am," he said yesterday.

With the Ricky Williams signing apparently imminent -- "we're
assuming it's going to happen," said Steinberg yesterday -- the
high-profile agent was on his way out of town to take his son to a
creative writing program in Ireland.

Before leaving, he mentioned how his brother attended the University
of Toronto many years ago in a post-graduate program and reminisced
briefly about his involvement in the deal that brought the "Georgia
Connection," offensive linemen Mike (Moonpie) Wilson and Joel
Parrish, to the Argos in 1977.

After spurning the NFL, neither panned out as a CFLer and Parrish,
after his football career was over, was incarcerated as part of the
largest drug bust in the history of Australia before being cleared of
all charges.

Steinberg isn't promising a longer stay than that of the Georgia
Connection for Williams, who would head back to the Miami Dolphins
immediately after this CFL season, but he is promising great success
on the field and a more positive impact on the city.

"I think we got lucky this opportunity presented itself," said the
real-life inspiration for the hit movie Jerry Maguire and the famous
agent for a horde of top NFL players.

"We lucked out because Toronto is such an awesome city and (the
Argonauts) are such a good football organization."

Williams may indeed want to play with the Argos and he remains in
town this weekend after being joined by his fiancee yesterday. But it
also seems clear Steinberg is the driving force behind the basic
concept that spending a year in the CFL will help rebuild Williams'
image and prepare him to again be a dominant NFL running back.

"Having this player spend two of three years out of football just
doesn't make sense," Steinberg said. "Rather than waste a year, this
is an opportunity to do something he loves doing, to make a
productive use of his time and earn some compensation along the way.
Things have all lined up really nicely."

Back in 1977, when teams like the Argos under owner Bill Hodgson were
offering up big dollars, the league served as economic leverage for
collegiate stars like Wilson and Parrish. Today, Steinberg clearly
sees the CFL as offering a different advantage to his client, a
chance to stay active and earn a salary rather than aimlessly passing
time before he again becomes eligible to play in the NFL.

While Williams has yet to speak on his football plans, Steinberg said
he believes that the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner has not only
abandoned use of recreational drugs after breaking NFL substance
abuse rules on four occasions, but is willing to stand up and
publicly take an anti-drug stance if he joins the Argos.

"He'll stand up and talk about why drugs are not a good thing," said
Steinberg. "He's on a completely different path now. I wouldn't spend
time and effort with a 'drug' type player."

Steinberg has had his own football business disappointments of late,
specifically being dumped by USC quarterback Matt Leinart on the eve
of the NFL draft. But he has stood by Williams over the past three
years and, after spending several days in Toronto, he probably
wouldn't have left unless the deal to make Williams an Argonaut was
essentially done.

He was already talking of Williams' plans to make an understated
entrance to Argo camp when he's cleared to play.

In other words, while he is the biggest star to join the Argos since
Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, he has no intention of alienating Argo
veterans in the same way the wildly overpaid Ismail eventually did.

"We're a little more astute than that," said Steinberg. "We won't
have Ricky coming in and acting like he's better than everyone else.
He won't be acting like the big NFL star."

First things first, however. Until the Dolphins give the go-ahead,
which may not happen until Tuesday, all of this remains an intriguing day dream.