The Miami Dolphins have named Ricky Williams their starter and have given him a contract extension ... but they still aren't letting him off the hook for the $8 million he owes the team.
Remember that a judgment went against him that requires him to pay back $8 million of his signing bonus from when he abruptly retired in 2004. Despite the good feelings around Ricky and the organization, they ... ya know ... want that money when he gets a chance.
That's where it gets a bit weird. Ricky hurried up and signed the one-year extension before discussing it with his agent, Leigh Steinberg. Because of that, there has been no mention or talk of absolving the debt to the team ... something that could/should have been addressed as a bartering chip:
"It would've made sense for Ricky to wait further into the season to see how he felt about things," said a source. "He never should've done an extension without them dealing with the judgment. He could've leveraged that on becoming a free agent when people can make competitive bids on you."
The article says ... though unlikely ... the Dolphins could garnish Ricky's wages at any time to recoup the money.
