Ricky Williams has been cleared to return to the NFL.
The controversial running back was reinstated by the league Wednesday after being suspended for more than 18 months for violating its drug policy for the fourth time.
Ricky Williams has only 12 NFL appearances under his belt since the start of the 2004 season.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)
Williams, 30, has played in only 12 NFL games since the start of the 2004 season. He played for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League last season and applied for reinstatement to the NFL on Oct. 1. He tested positive again for marijuana in April, delaying his reinstatement through the first half of this season.
The league said Williams can begin attending team meetings and practicing immediately, but will not be able to play in a game until Miami, currently winless, plays at Pittsburgh on Nov. 26. Meanwhile, the team will have a roster exemption for up to two weeks when he starts practicing.
"Ricky worked extremely hard to meet the requirements for reinstatement," said his lawyer, David Cornwell. "He is grateful for commissioner [Roger] Goodell's decision. Ricky is committed to making the most of the opportunity to rejoin the NFL."
Williams rushed for 3,225 yards in the 2002 and 2003 seasons after being traded to the Dolphins from New Orleans. He announced his retirement in 2004 after reportedly failing a third drug test, and travelled to India and Australia before returning to the Dolphins in 2005, when he ran for 743 yards alternating with rookie Ronnie Brown.
Brown is currently on injured reserve, leaving Miami short on running backs, but the Dolphins haven't given any indication they want Williams back.
In May, when discussing the running back's most recent relapse, first-year coach Cam Cameron said it's difficult to salvage the careers of troubled players.
"The easiest predictor of future behaviour is previous behaviour," he said.
Williams joined the Argonauts for the 2006 season, taking advantage of a loophole as he served out his NFL suspension.
But the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner failed to dominate as many expected, rushing for 526 yards and two touchdowns on 109 carries with Toronto. He missed eight weeks because of a broken forearm and injured Achilles tendon.
Outgoing CFL commissioner Tom Wright introduced a rule near the end of that season that would prevent players under NFL suspension from signing with a CFL club.
In his NFL career, Williams has carried the ball 1,757 times for 7,097 yards and 47 touchdowns in 82 games for the Dolphins and Saints, who drafted him fifth overall in 1999 out of the University of Texas.
With files from the Associated Press
