Ricky Williams is Running Over Self-Doubt With His Companies
You would be hard-pressed to find many athletes in the 21st century who were more influential in professional sports than Ricky Williams. The 2002 NFL rushing leader absorbed all the blows that small-minded cynics could throw at him throughout his career. Everything from his hair to mental health was openly ridiculed during what feels like prehistoric times in the 2000s.
At 46 and going by the name Errick Miron, the former bruising running back is still the same soft-spoken nonconformist who regularly landed himself in hot water with the NFL League Office during his playing days.
However, the times have changed, and laws have loosened. Once considered an iconoclast of football culture, Williams now looks like a trailblazer in hindsight. Has the rest of society finally caught up with Williams? Not by a long shot. But Williams is a statesman in the sport and stays in perpetual motion thanks to his two start-ups (both of which aim to help people build more self-confidence).
A traditional profile of Williams wouldn't do him justice, as no one's voice is as strong as his own. So, for this interview, we are handing the ball off and getting out of his way. Williams discussed his companies, NIL, documentaries, and sneaker deals in a wide-ranging interview.
Miami Dolphins fans during a 2004 NFL game.
© USA TODAY Sports
Will you get our readers caught up on your portfolio of projects?
"I have two projects; they're both start-ups. Highsman is a lifestyle brand, and it is based off of me, so we lean heavily into cannabis. But even more importantly, the mission is really empowering people to be themselves. For me, being myself meant smoking when I wasn't supposed to. But for everyone, it's going to mean something different.
There is a big question mark among people: 'This is what I was told I was supposed to be, but I'm not really sure who I am.' That's why my other start-up, which is LILA, is an app that helps people take astrology and music to help them understand themselves and have more confidence in being themselves.
It's a funny overlap because we just brought in a new CEO, and he's an Aquarius. The main thing I try to get across to Aquarius is that you're unique and different, and learn to be yourself and not care so much what other people think. I got that advice from a very famous Aquarius by the name of Oprah Winfrey."
One of my favorite things about your business is that fans can schedule a time to work on their astrology.
"Yeah, they're conversations, not readings. I don't tell people what's going on. I just help them understand how astrology helps them understand themselves. My wife and I live on several acres, and there is a guest house.
So, we open up on weekends for people who really want to dive in and learn this. We've had people come and spend the weekend and learn about astrology and how to apply it to themselves. It's something I used to keep a secret when I was playing, but after I retired, I began really leaning into it."
Do you think athletes would benefit by knowing more about astrology?
"I'm telling you, if I could go back and do my career all over again... And again, astrology isn't what people think. It doesn't tell you what to do. I describe it as timely food for thought that keeps you on track.
Sometimes, you have your coach and family telling you what to do, but you forget to ask, 'What is important to me?' I think astrology is that reminder to be yourself. Anybody who is doing anything where they want to be at their best, astrology is only going to give you insights to help you get there."
It's been 25 years since your Heisman Trophy-winning season. How would that Ricky Williams have handled NIL and brand building back in the day?
"Oh my god, I would have been loving it. I would have been in heaven. I got a taste of it because I was a minor-league baseball player - I got paid a decent amount of money to play for the Phillies. So, it would have just been that on a whole nother level."
Ricky Williams during a 1998 NCAA football game.
© RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Do you think you would have still played for the Texas Longhorns, or would it have been the highest bidder?
"I still would have gone to Texas. Texas would have been able to be competitive. It's funny; it just would have accelerated the process I went through four years later when I entered the NFL. But I think the beauty of accelerating is that in a college environment, you have a support system. Good coaches make sure you have a group around the players that truly have their back.
I think when you're coming into money and have all these things, and you have people around you that you can trust, it's a helpful, safe place to learn these things. But oftentimes, when I got to the NFL, it was just me out there trying to figure it out and didn't have access to the same resources I had when I was a student."
There have been a few college football documentaries that have dropped recently. Looking back at it, how do you feel about your 30 for 30?
"It's been 15 years since that came out. That project started way back in 2004 when I retired. So, it was a project that just kind of died, and when 30 for 30 came up, it gave it life and allowed us to get it to the finish line. If only for that, it is rewarding to finish something. What I've realized is when a storyteller is trying to tell my story, and it's not me, it's always going to be filtered through their experiences.
Sean [Pamphilon] did a good enough job of getting the point out there and helping people see a deeper side of me. So, if I get real nit-picky about the accuracy, yeah, I can tear it apart. But to take a step back and ask if it accomplished what it was meant to accomplish, yes. Do people come up to me and say they were inspired by it? Yes. So it was, to me, definitely a success."
Entering the NFL, you signed with Nike. Did they try marketing you much? Were there ever any commercials?
"I was right on the verge of crossing over into commercials. I don't know if they still do it, but back when I was playing, when you would go to Nike Town around football season, you would see their star lineup of players. I was at that point. So, if I wouldn't have retired in 2004 and I would have had a huge year, I would probably have gotten to the point of a commercial. Or, like LaDainian [Tomlinson], a shoe.
It's funny because, in high school, I was a huge Nike fan. The only negative mark against Texas was they were a Reebok school. But everything else at Texas was an A+, but Reebok was a B-. But anyway, I made Reebok a lot of money.
My whole four years in college, I think, 'I cannot wait to get into Nike.' So I get to the NFL, and this is the year that PUMA has the NFL uniform contract. I let my marketing person talk me out of Nike and convince me to sign with PUMA. At the time, I think PUMA was offering me twice as much as Nike. If he hadn't convinced me, I wouldn't have cared about the money; I would have gone with Nike.
So, the PUMA deal fell apart because I think they lost the NFL contract. So, as soon as my first year was done, I ran straight to Nike. And Nike took care of me. Back then, shoes could only be one color, unlike now, where the shoes look amazing. But even back then, when I was with the Saints, Nike made me a shoe with a little bit of gold on the back."
So you would run it back with Nike?
"Yeah, I'm at the point where I wouldn't hesitate to get a Nike Swoosh tattoo. If they reached out and said, 'Hey, we would love to do something with you,' I would get the tattoo tomorrow.
That was one of the joys of my career was working up close and personal with them. When Nike came out with the Nike Free, I had a lot to do with that. When I was playing in Miami, they came, and we talked, and I told them I would love to have a shoe that mimics running barefoot. So, we worked together and really got the design down. It's pretty good. Just being part of that process and being a Nike athlete was a meaningful part of my professional career."
Ricky Williams during a 2002 NFL game.
© JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
Last question. What shoes are you wearing these days?
"Honestly, I don't really wear shoes that much. I live up in the mountains, so mainly, I'm wearing a pair of UGG slippers. When I have to go out, I don't wear shoes. But I've been in this phase where I've just been wearing a pair of black Chuck Taylors.
But one of my favorite shoes and one of the highlights in my career, way back in the day when I played for the Saints, we played on the old-school astroturf. It tore your skin up, but the cool thing was you could wear sneakers. So, the Air Jordan 11 'Concord' - oh my god. I got to wear those in a football game."
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