From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The Bryant Gumbel effect

January 31 2007

On the Sept. 18 episode of HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, the host provided what many people believe was the catalyst for Ricky Williams' celebrated return to the Miami Dolphins.

"In closing, I ask you: Where is Ricky Williams tonight? The answer, regrettably, is Canada. Heck, he's not a draft dodger. He's one of the best running backs this great nation has ever produced. Sure, in some people's minds, he took a wrong turn on the hemp highway. But at a time when athletes are consuming chemicals to illegally bulk up muscle, isn't it almost admirable when a ball player simply ingests a weed that naturally grows wild in the volcanic hills of Estinadana and does nothing more than lessen one's desire to function and increase a man's appetite for salty snacks? Ricky Williams is the antithesis of today's corruptive and bionic athlete. Exiled, this proud athlete found asylum with the Toronto Argonauts. Shame on you, NFL Commissioner Goodell. Shame on us. Here at Real Sports we say, 'Hell, let's send Jack Bauer across the border up there and bring our boy home.' Good night and good sports."