If Ricky Williams Can Get Reinstated, Why Not R.Jay Soward?
Ricky Williams is the running back out of Texas who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a few years back ... and subsequently failed drug tests repeatedly, left his team (the Dolphins), was suspended for 18 months ... but now is back, with the Dolphins.
He played in that Mud Bowl game at Pittsburgh on Monday night, carrying the ball six times for 15 yards before he got hurt.
Which makes us wonder why R.Jay Soward, the onetime Jacksonville Jaguars receiver from Rialto and Fontana High School (and USC) can't get reinstated. Or, at least, hasn't yet.
R.Jay's issues, alcohol-related, from what we understand, were marginal compared to those of Williams. But the NFL has dragged its feet on reinstating him. Allegedly, Soward's appeal is before commissioner Roger Goodell, and should be ruled on ... soon?
A little difficult to imagine R.Jay could actually get back into an NFL game, after so many years away from the league. His one and only season was in 2000. But he did have three seasons (2004-06) in Canada after that and, who knows, he would just like a chance to go to someone's camp and see what happens.
At the least, he would like to be taken off the suspended list.
R.Jay this fall worked as an assistant coach at Arroyo Valley High School. I saw him in the USC locker room this season, with some of Arroyo's top kids, and he seemed very happy to be back in the USC fold.
I saw him again at the Arroyo Valley playoffs game game on Friday, a game Colony won handily, 30-7. He said, "Sorry about the show," meaning the game, which had been, yeah, pretty ugly.
Anyway, if eternal doper Ricky Williams can get back ... why not R.Jay?