RICKY WILLIAMS FAILS DRUG TEST AGAIN

Just when it seemed that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams was set
to resurrect his NFL career after a drug suspension, he stumbled
backward after testing positive for marijuana last month, according
to a source.

Williams, who was expected to be reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell as soon as next week, now has to wait at least several months
before applying for reinstatement, according to sources. This is
Williams' fifth failed drug test over his tumultuous seven-year career.

After a player tests positive three times, NFL policy dictates he is
suspended for at least one year for each subsequent violation. After
a year, the player can apply for reinstatement, which is at the
commissioner's discretion.

However, because Williams tested positive while he was still
suspended, the league considers him to be in the treatment phase of
the policy and not the disciplinary phase, so the automatic one-year
suspension doesn't necessarily apply.

Still, Goodell, who recently implemented a stricter conduct policy -
particularly targeted at repeat offenders - isn't known for his leniency.

Williams' agent Leigh Steinberg released a statement by his client to
the Associated Press late Friday night.

"Due to the recent reports about me failing a drug test, I feel it is
appropriate for me to issue this statement. Last month, following a
psychological evaluation requested by the NFL, we -- the psychiatrist
and I -- came to the realization that there were a few things I
needed to iron out about myself in order to make my return to the NFL
as successful as possible.

"I am an honest, God-fearing man who is intensely dedicated to being
the best person I can be on and off the football field. There is no
need to smear my name or to defame my character for the sake of news.
When the time is right, God willing, I will be back on the field
scoring touchdowns for whatever team is fortunate enough to believe in me."

Neither the league nor the Dolphins would comment.

Williams, who turns 30 on May 21, was diagnosed with social anxiety
disorder in 2001. He previously admitted that in the past he coped
with the stressful disorder by using marijuana. However, last month
Williams told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that yoga had replaced
drugs in his life.

"I've been very, very blessed to have found yoga," he said in Grass
Valley, Calif., where he teaches yoga. "I've found what I was looking
for, and so now there's no need to smoke anymore. I see that I can
sit with my legs crossed and my eyes closed for 15 minutes, and I get
the same feeling I would get from smoking a joint. ...

"Even if you smoke -- you're stressed and then you smoke and relax
for a couple of hours, but you have to do it over and over again. Now
[with yoga] if I can maintain this and can have it with me all the
time, then it's something that's real."

According to a different source, the league's treatment plan for
Williams does not address his anxiety disorder.

David Cornwell, Williams' attorney during his substance-abuse
hearings with the league, blamed Williams' apparent relapse on the
league and its clinicians.

"Ricky's history with Dr. Jethro Toomer, his treating clinician under
the NFL drug program, demonstrates that Commissioner Goodell must
address the league's inability to treat effectively players who are
subject to the NFL drug program."

Even if Williams is reinstated, it's uncertain whether he would play
for the Dolphins. Coach Cam Cameron and General Manager Randy Mueller
have repeatedly refused to say whether Williams would be welcome on the team.

The Dolphins picked Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker in the
third round of last month's draft, and Mueller expressed confidence
in his ability to back up starting running back Ronnie Brown. The
Dolphins also assigned Booker to Williams' old locker.

"I was looking forward to learning something from him," Booker said
Friday on Sirius Satellite Radio. "I wish him the best of luck in his
situation and hope he can come back to the league."

Williams retired from football in 2004 when facing another failed
test, but made a comeback in 2005, rushing for 743 yards and six
touchdowns after missing the first four games because of a drug suspension.

Williams played for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football
League during his 2006 drug suspension. He rushed for 526 yards and
two touchdowns on 109 carries, but missed eight weeks because of a
broken forearm and injured Achilles' tendon.

If Williams is suspended for another NFL season he will not have the
option of returning to the CFL because of a newly adopted code of
conduct policy. The so-called Ricky rule forbids any CFL team from
signing a player who's under suspension from the NFL.

"I can also emphatically say there is no plan, even if Ricky became
available in some strange way, to have Ricky Williams be part of the
Toronto Argonauts for the 2007 season," Argonauts President Keith
Pelley said. "I've got no regrets about Ricky Williams at all. He was
a model citizen here."

During Williams' premature retirement in 2004, the Dolphins were
awarded an $8.6 million judgment against Williams for breach of
contract. Williams still owes the Dolphins the money, but the
franchise has not attempted to collect. Williams is slated to earn
the veteran minimum $710,000 this season.

Staff Writers Sarah Talalay, Stacy Hicklin and Alex Marvez and The
Canadian Press contributed to this report.