| Ricky Williams is one of the most interesting players in | | | | Williams suffers from a form of social anxiety disorder |
| the National Football League (NFL) because of the | | | | that his therapists have helped him manage. Having a |
| fact that he seems to be unique in many ways that | | | | social anxiety disorder is hard for the average person |
| are unlike traditional norms and stereotypes about | | | | and can be increasing difficult to deal with as a |
| professional football players. Chief amongst the | | | | celebrity who is constantly bombarded by strangers |
| intriguing aspects of the life of Ricky Williams that | | | | and attention. For a brief period Ricky worked with a |
| separates him from most of his teammates are: | | | | large pharmaceutical company as a spokesperson of |
| 1. His interest in yoga - Ricky is a certified yoga | | | | sorts to promote education about the product the |
| instructor | | | | company was producing to assist in managing social |
| 2. His endorsement of a prescription drug to deal with | | | | anxiety issues. |
| his social anxiety disorder | | | | Ricky does not eat the sort of diet that is normally |
| 3. His vegetarian diet | | | | associated with a powerful 230 pound NFL football |
| 4. His Hindu faith | | | | player. As a professional football player Williams can |
| By normal standards within the general population of | | | | afford to eat at the finest steak houses but instead |
| Americans anyone of the four items listed above | | | | chooses to practice a vegetarian diet in which he |
| would be enough to place an individual in a small | | | | abstains from eating meat. In addition to his personal |
| minority of all citizens in the United States. The fact | | | | diet as a crusade to help animals Ricky has been a |
| that all four of the unique and in some cases | | | | face for the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment |
| controversial issues listed above apply to one man | | | | of Animals) organization. |
| who happens to be a standout NFL football player | | | | According to a 2001 study.4% of Americans are Hindu. |
| who was considered one of the best college football | | | | Ricky Williams, an African American, counts himself as |
| players of all time is particularly odd. | | | | one of the 1.1 million US citizens that practice Hinduism. |
| When most people think of professional football | | | | Of the approximately one million practicing Hindi citizens |
| players they do not picture serene yoga classes. | | | | living in the United State the vast majority are of Indian |
| Ricky Williams is the exception to this rule because he | | | | heritage. Williams, a current Florida resident, does not |
| is such a personal advocate of the practice of yoga | | | | even live in one of the five US states where Hinduism |
| that he has actually gone as far as to become | | | | is most prolific. Those states include: Illinois, Texas, New |
| certified to instruct classes. He has given free yoga | | | | Jersey, New York, and California. |
| classes in Toronto, Canada. | | | | |