Morning coffee, second day of discussing Ricky Williams.
I understand the sentimentality regarding "letting the team down," or "throwing away your life," but it seems to imply that Ricky "owes" the Dolphins something. Both parties signed a contract and thus both took risks that the terms of the contract might not be met, or that the benefits of the contract might tip in favor of one side or the other during its course. Business is business.
The fact that you are a fan of the Dolphins may cause you to think that Ricky or the Dolphins owe you something beyond 16 games of football each season... they don't. Years of having the Bengals foisted off on me, against my will, and the antics of Mike Brown have driven home the point that this is strictly a business. The loyalty issues are no deeper than the current market values of players and francises.
You may think of what you would do to be able to make a couple million and not be able to see why Ricky can walk away from it, but Ricky is under no obligation to accept your values regarding lifestyles and purpose of life.
I find myself in the same trap when working with a talented student who doesn't complete assignments. I may be frustrated, but the student has the right to make the choice, just as I have the choice to give out Fs.