Ricky Williams calls for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to veto bill banning THC

Ricky Williams is one of the more well-known athletes in the state of Texas after his collegiate career for the Longhorns back in the 90s. He’s now using that platform to try to effect change on a topic he is passionate about.

Williams, pairing with Project Champion 420, “a collective of former professional athletes working to build cannabis champions,” posted a video on social media to support a veto of Senate Bill 3. The state’s senate passed the bill, which would put a ban on consumable hemp-derived products, with it now awaiting an official signature by Governor Greg Abbott, whom Williams called to take action against the bill instead.

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“Prohibition doesn’t protect people — it puts them in danger,” Williams captioned the post on social media. “@projectchampion420 urges @governorabbott to veto #SB3 before it strips veterans, patients, and small businesses of legal access to hemp products. Texas can’t fumble this.

“Today, I’m not here so much as an athlete but as someone who knows firsthand how beneficial this plant can be. Helped me manage injuries, deal with pain and especially deal with the most intense emotional ups and downs of my life. And now it’s helping veterans manage PTSD, helping people with chronic pain, and offering Texans a safer alternative to opioids,” said Williams in his video. “But, Senate Bill 3, also known as SB3, threatens to take all of that away. This bill would ban all hemp-direct products that are already federally legal. It would hurt farmers, families, and people that are using this amazing plant. I’m calling on my friend, Greg Abbott, to please veto this bill and stand with the veterans, the farmers, and the families who know that there’s a better way forward.”

This would represent “a big step backward” for Texas, writes Mike Florio, if Senate Bill 3 were to pass. That’s with national legislation being more lax when it comes to marijuana.

Williams played for the Texas Longhorns from 1995-1998, leaving as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 6,279 yards and 72 touchdowns while putting up a total of 7,206 yards from scrimmage with 75 scores. That would, as an upperclassman, earn him honors as a two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and All-American, as well as being the winner of the Heisman Trophy in his senior year in 1998.

Williams would go on to be the No. 5 pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, spending 13 seasons in the league playing for New Orleans, Miami, and Baltimore. Due to the nature of this move, it’s worth noting multiple suspensions he had as a professional for violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy, specifically missing all of the seasons in 2004 and 2006 while with the Dolphins.