Ricky Williams was involved in an incident with police in Tyler, Texas last week while he was in town for the Earl Campbell Award ceremony.
The former Longhorns running back came to support Campbell and this year’s award winner, D’Onta Foreman. Williams says he arrived in Tyler about four hours before the ceremony at a local country club and decided to go for a walk outside his hotel. His presence near the backyard of a local resident led to a phone call to the police.
As Williams returned to his hotel, policemen came to speak with him. They put his hands behind his back and checked Williams’ pockets. The former Heisman Trophy winner got a little upset about the situation, but tempers never really flared during the incident on either side. Williams, who is known for his love and support of marijuana, says he was not smoking nor carrying any drugs.
Williams discussed the incident during an interview on KLBJ with “The Dudley and Bob with Matt Show.”
“I usually don’t consider where I am because I’m ‘Ricky Williams,” and I think that’s good enough,” Williams told the radio hosts. “And I started to get a little bit upset and they said, ‘Calm down,’ and I said, ‘Listen, you don’t know what it’s like to be a black man, this is not the first time this has happened to me when cops have harassed me and I haven’t done anything.'”
Williams was eventually let go, but he was clearly upset about what happened.
Williams did make it to the Cambell Award ceremony.
Honored to attend the @CampbellAward ceremony with @D33_foreman @Rickthelaureate and The Tyler Rose, Earl Campbell. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/MwIQoJ38Tw
— Mike Perrin (@UTmikeperrin) January 12, 2017
Williams is a College Football Hall of Famer and one of the greatest college players ever. He rushed for 66 touchdowns and over 10,000 yards during his NFL career.
