Ricky Williams says Bill Parcells ‘shocked me into retirement’

In a bit of a stunner, former stud running back Ricky Williams revealed that Bill Parcells actually convinced him to retire. 

To this day, folks still talk about the shocking retirement of former superstar running back Ricky Williams back in 2004.

At only 27 years old, Williams decided to hang up his cleats and call it a career in the prime of his athletic life. What in the world? He made his way back in 2005, but then was suspended for all of 2006.

From 2007-11, Williams suited up for the Dolphins and Ravens, but never was able to accomplish his dreams of winning a Super Bowl. The thought of coming back for one more season in 2012 crossed his mind, as Williams knew Baltimore had a serious shot of winning it all.

However, one person made him realize it’d be a major mistake to return: Bill Parcells.

Ricky Williams wanted to chase a Super Bowl ring but Bill Parcells advised against that

In an exclusive interview with FanSided’s Stacking the Box, Williams indeed said it was a message from Parcells which made Williams realize it was time for him to retire for good following the ’11 campaign. He was 34 at the time.

“I got a text message from Bill Parcells,” Williams said. “I was sharing with him how excited I was about coming back for another year. His response shocked me into retirement. Don’t chase this thing too long, you can contribute in other ways.”

Unreal. Williams said that after that campaign with Baltimore, the Ravens coaches told him that a regret they had was not getting him more involved in the offense. This had Williams fired up to come back in 2012 to make some head-turning plays.

However, the text from Parcells came through and it made the speedster realize that while he still loved football, he really could make other contributions off the gridiron. Unfortunately for Williams, his gut feeling on the Ravens for the ’12 campaign was spot on, as the team went on to win the Super Bowl.

While he would have loved to have gotten a ring, Williams has no regrets about his decision and remains happy with how his time in the pros played out with the Saints, Dolphins and Ravens.