WASHINGTON — Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams was reinstated Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after serving a drug-related suspension that lasted more than a year and a half.
According to the NFL, Goodell informed Williams that he was immediately eligible to begin practicing and attending meetings with the Dolphins but cannot play in a game until the 12th week of the season, a Monday night game at Pittsburgh in 11 days. The Dolphins were given a two-week roster exemption for Williams that starts whenever he practices, beginning no later than Monday.
Williams applied for reinstatement Oct. 1. He was suspended in April 2006 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for a fourth time. That one-year suspension was extended when Williams reportedly tested positive for marijuana in April.
Williams’ representatives said that Williams is scheduled to travel to South Florida and meet with first-year coach Cam Cameron today.
Cameron had a short telephone conversation with Williams Wednesday and later told reporters he hadn’t made a decision about whether to allow the running back to rejoin the team.
Randy Mueller, the Dolphins’ general manager, once traded Williams to Miami when he was in the New Orleans Saints’ front office. Trading Williams is not an immediate option for the Dolphins because the league’s trading deadline for this season has passed.
Williams returned to the Dolphins in the 2005 season as a backup to Brown after then-coach Nick Saban repaired the organization’s relationship with Williams. He had retired abruptly before the 2004 season, when the team was coached by Dave Wannstedt. Williams played in the Canadian Football League last year.
Williams, 30, has played in only 12 regular season NFL games since the 2003 season. He has run for 7,097 yards in six NFL seasons, three for the Saints and three for the Dolphins. He’s had four seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards, topped by an 1,853-yard season for the Dolphins in 2002.
If the Dolphins do welcome back Williams, he might be playing with a rookie quarterback. Cameron promoted John Beck, a second-round draft choice in April from Brigham Young, to the starting job Wednesday ahead of Cleo Lemon. Cameron had left open the possibility of going to Beck just after the team’s recent bye week, but kept Lemon as the starter for one more game. Veteran Trent Green began the season as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback but suffered a serious concussion for a second straight year and was placed on the injured reserve list, ending his season.
The Dolphins will take an 0-9 record into Sunday’s game at Philadelphia. They are the league’s only winless team and are trying to avoid becoming the first team to go winless over a 16-game season. The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were 0-14, were the first winless team since the 1970 merger.
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