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(A Love Story)
The writers spent a week in New Orleans -- Le Batard with Ricky Williams, Telander with
Mike Ditka -- chronicling the early moments of this unlikely relationship. Words attributed to the characters are just as they were spoken. Some scenes, recreated by Ditka and Williams, actually happened, too -- except for the occasional ghostly presence thrown in because, hey, this is a movie.
RICKY WILLIAMS a young running back from the University of Texas Scene 1 Six weeks before the April '99 NFL draft. RICKY WILLIAMS tosses fitfully on his bed. GHOSTS OF RED GRANGE, BRONKO NAGURSKI and DOAK WALKER float about. Lightning crashes as a skull spirals toward the sleeper. WILLIAMS catches the skull and rises from the bed.
WILLIAMS [woeful] These NFL people kill my confidence. I spend all my life building up my character and then it takes only one month for them to tear it down. They don't like my agent. Don't like my dreads. Don't like my piercings. I'm fat, undisciplined and cocky. I haven't run the ball since college, and I keep getting worse? How does that happen? And now my HANDS are too small, too?
WILLIAMS [to the Heisman atop his TV] What are YOU looking at? Scene 2
A golf course outside New Orleans. MIKE DITKA rides in his cart, sucking on a cigar. Grabbing his sand wedge, Ditka hobbles out and lines up his shot.
DITKA [mumbling] Walter Payton may not have been the best running back ever. But he was the best football player I've ever seen. [DITKA swings. There is a blast of sand and the ball rockets over the green.]
DITKA [mumbling louder] We need a great running back. Somebody like Walter. [An alligator slithers from the swamp. DITKA raises his wedge. The alligator retreats.] Scene 3
NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. WILLIAMS roves about the room with dozens of players. Somber-looking men with stopwatches and clipboards line the edges of the gym. Williams strolls by DITKA, who reaches out and grabs him by the arm.
DITKA I want you on my team. We're going to try to trade up for you. I don't know if we can, but I'm going to try.
WILLIAMS [aside] Oh, my God! Mike Ditka is talking to me! I don't hear a word he's saying. I'm just watching his mouth move. I'm not used to seeing him look normal. I'm used to seeing his face look red and angry.
[CUT TO the weighing area at the Combine. WILLIAMS, in his underwear, steps on the scale. A scout and some players watch closely.]
SCOUT Two hundred and fifty-two pounds.
PLAYERS [turning away] Ha ha ha ha ...
WILLIAMS [stunned] Daaaaaaaamn.
[CUT TO DITKA walking from the Combine complex to his car. He fires up a stogie.]
DITKA [scoffing] What's the big deal? What's he overweight? A steak and a baked potato.
Scene 4
Indianapolis hotel room. WILLIAMS turns on his laptop, types in "D-i-t-k-a." WILLIAMS reads biographical info on DITKA, gets excited, and picks up his phone. He calls Texas teammate CHAD PATMON.
PATMON What up, dawg?
WILLIAMS Chad, I could play for this Ditka guy. Do you know he's the only current NFL coach in the Hall of Fame as a PLAYER?! He was a football player before football players were role models or celebrities or marketing people. I was born too late. I wish I could play WITH him, not for him.[PATMON just listens.]
Scene 5
One month later. A fitness club in San Diego. WILLIAMS approaches a PERSONAL TRAINER.
WILLIAMS How can I lose a lot of weight overnight?
TRAINER Eat as many prunes as you can. Eat a lot of Raisin Bran. And smoke some Marlboro Lights.
WILLIAMS Marlboro Lights?
TRAINER The nicotine loosens you up. Oh, and take a laxative.
[CUT TO WILLIAMS' rented beach house in San Diego. WILLIAMS sits on the toilet, cell phone in one hand, lit cigarette in the other.]
WILLIAMS [talking to a friend on phone] Been here for an hour. Know that scene in Dumb and Dumber, where the guy's ass explodes? That's me. Lost six pounds, though. Scene 6
Next day. A college track in San Diego. WILLIAMS has shed 28 pounds on a diet devoid of sugars and carbos. Prunes are a late addition. The suffering shows on his face. In sweats and sneakers, WILLIAMS conducts a private work-out for scouts on a college track. He's down to a sleek 224 and runs a 4.43 40 and benchpresses 225 pounds 22 times.
SCOUT #1 Looks better, don't he?
SCOUT #2 Yeah, but why'd he get fat in the first place?
[CUT TO a doughnut shop in San Diego, minutes later. WILLIAMS enters. A COUNTERMAN steps up.]
COUNTERMAN Sir?
WILLIAMS I'll have three of those and two of those and some of Those over there. Scene 7
DITKA sits in his office at the Saints training camp. His face is sunburned, his Bela Lugosi hair has a reddish cast. He falls asleep. Images of steel-mill furnaces and men carrying lunch pails fill his head. Stopwatches and clipboards rain down like soot. The SPIRIT OF GEORGE HALAS pulls up a chair.
DITKA These Combine stats are stupid. Can you vertical jump over the moon? How many times can you bench 225 pounds? How often you do that in a game? Never. You use arm strength on the move. It's all kind of silly.
DITKA Glad they didn't have a Combine when I was playing. I'd be tending bar in Aliquippa. You can look at game film. If it's a receiver from Louisiana Tech, you might question something. But a tailback from Texas? What are you gonna hide? If I never say anything else, remember this: The eyes of Texas are upon thee. All the livelong day.
Scene 8
The beach house in San Diego. WILLIAMS stands shirtless in front of a mirror. He stares at his hair, his nose ring, the tattoos on each of his pectoral muscles. He sticks out his tongue and looks at the silver post. He paces, hands behind his back. On the floor, next to a cluster of dirty clothes, a USA Today sports page reports that Williams' draft stock is dropping.
WILLIAMS [to himself] I've had the dreads since I was 14. People are always telling me to cut them off. My mother. Earl Campbell. The Browns. I want to be the No.1 pick, but if I cut my dreads, it'll be for myself, not for anybody else. Why do people care how I look? [He slumps in front of his computer and trolls the Web. Suddenly he jumps up with excitement. The screen reads: Ditka Would Give Up All His Draft Choices for Ricky.]
WILLIAMS Something positive! Finally, somebody believes in me!
ACT TWO (MARRIAGE) Scene 1 A week before the draft. DITKA's office in New Orleans. WILLIAMS, on a recruiting tour, and DITKA look at
old football photos. DITKA watches WILLIAMS. He is impressed with WILLIAMS' interest in the good ol' days.
DITKA Let's eat, son.
[Cut to Impastato's, a gourmet restaurant in New Orleans. WILLIAMS and DITKA sit at an elegant table.]
WILLIAMS [in awe] Whoa! A 13-million course meal!
DITKA Eat up.
DITKA Who was your favorite running back?
WILLIAMS Walter Payton.
Scene 2
Draft day at Madison Square Garden in New York. PAUL TAGLIABUE walks to the microphone. Silence falls.
TAGLIABUE With the No.1 pick, the Cleveland Browns select ... Tim Couch.
WILLIAMS [to agent LELAND HARDY] This isn't fair. I was the best player in college football. I should have been the No.1 pick. I belong on the Browns.
WILLIAMS [to himself] Please, God, let Ditka trade up and get Philly's No.2 pick.
WILLIAMS [to HARDY] Why are the Colts taking so long? They promised they'd take me if I was available.
TAGLIABUE With the No. 4 pick, the Indianapolis Colts select ... University of Miami running back Edgerrin James.
WILLIAMS [as TV cameras zoom in] Daaaaamn. That's it. I know I'm not falling anymore. Ditka's not bluffing. He'll put an end to this.
[CUT TO the press room at Madison Square Garden. WILLIAMS stands in front of the assembled MEDIA. DITKA has traded eight picks and moved up from No. 12 for WILLIAMS.]
WILLIAMS I'm fine. I'm not disappointed. I'm honored.
WILLIAMS [to himself] I'm lying to these people. I wanted to be the first player picked. At least the first running back. I like Ditka. But my pride is hurt. Bad. I just want to go home to Austin and cry in private.
[CUT TO the front of Madison Square Garden. WILLIAMS and HARDY climb into a waiting limousine.]
WILLIAMS I'm going back to Austin.
HARDY I think maybe you ought to go see the guy who traded his whole draft for you.
LIMO DRIVER Where to?
WILLIAMS LaGuardia. I'm going to New Orleans.
Scene 3
The Windsor Court Hotel lounge in New Orleans. DITKA sits with a drink in one hand, cigar in the other. His wife, DIANA, sits beside him. DITKA stands up as a despondent WILLIAMS enters the lounge with his mother and sister.
DITKA The Eagles are stupid. I would have given them my whole draft, PLUS three first-rounders, and they still could have traded down and gotten McNabb.
WILLIAMS Thank you for believing in me.
DIANA I love your hair.
WILLIAMS Thank you, Mrs. Ditka.
DITKA Let me buy you a drink.
WILLIAMS [softly] I think I'm going to bed.
DITKA [more forcefully] I said, let me buy you a drink.
WILLIAMS Um, okay.
[CUT TO a hallway outside the lounge at the hotel. WILLIAMS stands with his MOTHER and SISTER.]
WILLIAMS [upbeat] That's cool. I can be myself with this guy. Things are going to be different here.
Scene 4
DITKA sits at his desk in the Saints' office. The phone rings. It's TOM LANDRY.
LANDRY Mike, can't you get your new running back to cut his hair?
DITKA Hey, you couldn't get your guys to cut their hair either.
***
ACT THREE (DOMESTIC LIFE) Scene 1
It is the annual rookies "Meet the Saints Day" at team headquarters. But there is only one Saint to meet today. WILLIAMS scans the crowd and sees MASTER P, his agent's boss, who has come over from his headquarters in Baton Rouge. P, wearing shades, a backward cap and a huge gold-and-diamond tank medallion around his neck, is talking to Saints owner TOM BENSON, an older, white man in rumpled clothes. P is one of BENSON's biggest clients, having purchased several cars from Benson's Mercedes dealership.
WILLIAMS [proudly] Mr. Benson and P are BOYS!
DITKA [to crowd] We're going to win the Super Bowl!
WILLIAMS [to himself] This guy is crazy. But I like his kind of crazy.
Scene 2
A golf course outside New Orleans. TERRY O'NEIL and LELAND HARDY are discussing WILLIAMS' contract.
HARDY Did you know your GM Bill Kuharich and I went to the same grammar school in Philly?
O'NEIL Amazing. Small world.
O'NEIL Your kid could hold us hostage, you know? He could hold out and keep our entire draft out of camp.
HARDY Ricky wants to thank Ditka, not hurt him.
HARDY I recommend you take their offer of $20 million guaranteed over the life of the contract, with no signing bonus.
WILLIAMS [over the phone] Just take the $8.8 million bonus up front. I'll turn that into $20 million in the stock market. Hurry up and get it done. Scene 3
A television screen in WILLIAMS' home is tuned to a sports station.
TV REPORTER [on camera] Rookie running back Ricky Williams agreed to terms today with the Saints on a seven-year contract that gives him an $8.8 million signing bonus but very little else. Most of his money must come from difficult-to-achieve incentives. If he gets hurt, he is in trouble. He may have signed the worst contract in NFL history.
WILLIAMS [angrily, to TV screen] I'm not an idiot! I know what I did. I have to produce like Terrell Davis and Barry Sanders to get my money. I'm not afraid of that. I either earn my money or I don't get it. That's how it was in Ditka's playing days. I figure it like this: The signing bonus is me getting paid for what I did in college. I'll EARN what I make in the pros, or I won't get it all. Honor is the only thing they're going to put in my coffin with me. Not money. And I've got my honor.
Scene 4
The locker room at the Saints' first minicamp. Williams sneaks onto the scale and tips in at 241 pounds, seven over his playing weight as a senior. Trainer DEAN KLEIN SCHMIDT approaches. Rookie free agents mill about.
WILLIAMS Can I get a workout in before weighing in?
KLEINSCHMIDT Let's get this out of the way now.
WILLIAMS Okay, I'll be back in a second.
[WILLIAMS disappears. MONTAGE CUTS of WILLIAMS at minicamp: in the sauna, doing exercises, running in place, glancing about furtively, sneaking past just when KLEINSCHMIDT turns his back.]
KLEINSCHMIDT [befuddled, to free agent] You seen Ricky Williams?
FREE AGENT Nope.
[More MONTAGE CUTS of WILLIAMS, on hands and knees, crawling to hide behind lockers. The hands of a clock indicate an hour has gone by. WILLIAMS approaches KLEINSCHMIDT.]
WILLIAMS Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you.
Scene 5
Football field at first minicamp. MONTAGE SHOTS of players running drills, showering, drinking water, etc., indicate that a couple of days have passed. WILLIAMS and DITKA have almost no contact. On the third day, DITKA approaches WILLIAMS.
DITKA How you doing?
WILLIAMS Fine.
[CUT TO football field at minicamp, later that day. WILLIAMS breaks off a huge run to end practice as reporters gawk.]
Scene 6
DITKA's office. Reporters hold tape recorders.
REPORTER What did you think of Ricky's great run at the end?
DITKA [surly] Nothing. That's what he's SUPPOSED to do.
[CUT TO New Orleans hotel. WILLIAMS is packing after minicamp. He looks at DITKA's comments in the local paper on his bed.]
WILLIAMS [reading, nodding] That's how I like it. He EXPECTS greatness from me. I expect it too.
Scene 7 An Austin tattoo shop. WILLIAMS sits in a chair as the TATTOO ARTIST pierces WILLIAMS' lower lip and inserts a stud.
TATTOO ARTIST You're hooked up, dude.
WILLIAMS That's the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. Looks good, though.
Scene 8
DITKA That comes out for practice.
[CUT to a restroom at training camp. WILLIAMS stands in front of a mirror, removing the stud. He winces with pain.]
WILLIAMS [to himself, furious] It's closing already. I'll never get that stud in again.
WILLIAMS [to himself] I'm pretty mad. You pierce your lip, it becomes a part of you. [calming] Well, maybe it is a safety hazard. Maybe he is right. [calming more] I can't stay mad at him. There's too much to do. And last thing I need is somebody like John Randle reaching into my face and yanking me down by that stud. Scene 9
DITKA's office. DITKA frowns. A reporter sits attentively.
DITKA Tattoos. Don't understand 'em. Guys in prison, maybe, or the military. Don't understand any of it.
DITKA [devilish look] Did you see Ricky catch the ball today? There's no need to take him out on third downs. Ever. I want him to touch the ball 30, 35 times a game. Hand it to him, pass it to him, whatever. They want to put eight, nine guys on the line to stop him? Fine. We'll pass. I'm tired of people saying you can't do this, you can't do that. And I'll tell you something else, Ricky Williams has got things to prove to some people -- in Cleveland, Philly, Cincinnati, Indianapolis. On the field. [cackling with glee] To the heartnd of America.
DITKA We set the standard for the draft, didn't we? Gave up everything. I would have given up even more, too. "Don't destroy the future," they say. Well, the future is now.
Scene 10
A bedroom in WILLIAMS' new $900,000 luxury house in suburban Kenner, La. The room -- except for a suitcase, cell phone and mattress -- is empty. WILLIAMS rises from the mattress, stretches, his lean body rippling with muscle. He pads out of the room.
[CUT TO the kitchen in WILLIAMS' new house. It, too, is devoid of furniture. There is only a blender on the
counter and boxes of protein supplement. WILLIAMS fixes a protein shake.]
WILLIAMS I'm no rookie. I've never worked out like this, never been in this kind of shape. I have no reason to be insecure.
WILLIAMS Coach knows he's right about me. And I know it, too. I'm ready to start bustin' heads for the Saints. Scene 11
WILLIAMS sleeps on his mattress and then rises groggily in the dark. There is a storm outside. He sees a hattered skull on the floor and jumps back in fright. He gets a broom to sweep up the pieces. Suddenly DITKA appears with a dustpan. The coach kneels. WILLIAMS is stunned, but he appreciatively sweeps the fragments into DITKA's dustpan. DITKA stands up, and the two men look at one another and smile.
DITKA [fiercely] Tuck it away next time!
WILLIAMS Yessir.
THE END
This article appears in the August 9, 1999 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
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