The Ricky Williams retirement news was startling to everyone in and around the Dolphins. No exceptions. You want to knock Dave Wannstedt over with a feather? You could have done that Friday afternoon in Naples, the tiny resort town on the west coast of Florida.

Here is some insight to how he felt:

“I don’t want to do it anymore,” Williams told Le Batard. “That’s it. I don’t want to do this anymore. If people really care about me, that would be enough for them.”

Ricky being Ricky. When I woke to the news Sunday, I have to say my first thought (after, of course, “Wow!”) was: I’m always surprised that more NFL players don’t retire before their time.

Two reasons. One: Have you ever stood on the sidelines of an NFL game? I have. It’s positively scary. Grown men — big grown men, hopped-up big grown men — are running into each other, often head-on, at full speed. The sound and fury is about three times what you see on TV. Maybe the players who’ve done it for so long are immune to it, but let me tell you something, people — those are car wrecks that go on out there. Bruce Smith once told me his job on Sundays was a series of car accidents, and he had to steel himself to the fact that he was sacrificing X number of years off his life to make the lives of his extended family members (and himself, certainly) better.

Second reason: This may come as a shock to you, but not every football player loves football. Ricky Williams didn’t love the game. He liked it, sure. But love? Not Williams. He likes too many things in life to be in love with football. Traveling, photography, his kids, being alone. And after making $16 million or so in football over his five seasons, he knew he could do what he wanted to do. When you read this, I’m sure many of you are going to think, “What’s there not to like about playing a sport and making millions for a living?” Well, to most people, nothing. And to most football players, nothing. But it is physically and mentally demanding. It should not be a crime for a man to want to do other things with his life than play football. Which is why, other than his timing (which is a severe betrayal to his teammates and employers, the same betrayal Barry Sanders inflicted on the Lions six years ago, and enough for a Dolphin fan to hate the guy), this decision ought to be perfectly fine with anyone. It’s America. A guy can do what he wants.

So long buddy, Im pretty sure that anxiety issue he had played a roll into his choice.

Jamaica’s Brigitte Foster falls to the ground after crossing the line in an attempt to catch Canada’s Perdita Felicien in the 100-meter hurdles. Foster took the silver medal.

Sanya Richards, right, held off Russia and Jamaica on the anchor leg to clinch the women’s 4×400-meter title for the United States.

After weeks of defending herself against doping allegations and trying to explain her subpar performances on the track, Marion Jones smiled and laughed as she poked a little fun at herself. An exhausted Jones pulled out of the 200 at the U.S. track and field trials to focus on the long jump and the relays — and perhaps even a spot in the 100.

“It’s extremely disappointing. I’m not going to candy coat anything,” she said. “My reasoning for pulling out of the 200 today is simply because of fatigue. There’s no other reason. After running my round yesterday I was simply tired, exhausted.”

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have acquired 11-time All-Star center Shaquille O�Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Caron Butler, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a future first-round draft pick. �Today the Miami HEAT took a giant step forward in our continued pursuit of an NBA championship for the city of Miami and this franchise,� said HEAT President Pat Riley.

Sources say the Heat may have also increased the value of the team as well. Adding Shaq to the roster has boosted the teams value $40+ million higher.

In other news:

Steve Nash may not be the only talented player the Suns land this summer. The club also agreed to a deal with restricted free agent swingman Quentin Richardson. An offer sheet has been signed and the Clippers, his current team, now have 14 days to match the offer and retain the four-year NBA veteran�s services, or decline and allow him to make his way to the Valley.

As the pool of available big men in free agency continues to shrink, the Heat was left Thursday to mull the possibilities of something truly gargantuan.

“It’s not a news bulletin that Shaq’s on the market,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “And we, like everybody else, are listening.”

Apparently, the Heat is listening intently, joined by the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks as teams making the biggest pushes for Shaquille O’Neal.

With the Lakers’ center demanding a trade, the Heat apparently has pushed virtually all its chips to the center of the table — with the exception of guard Dwyane Wade, seemingly its lone untouchable.

Although he attempted to downplay such trade talks, Riley, making his first appearance at the Pepsi Pro Summer League, did not discount the possibility.

In fact, amid an already wild offseason that has seen guards Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis trade places in Orlando and Houston, respectively, and Vince Carter push for a trade from Toronto, Riley said no prospect should be disregarded.

“I mean, Tracy McGrady got traded. He was on the market,” Riley said. “I’ve heard three or four other great-name players that are on the market, Shaq being one of ’em.

“You’ve got to pursue ’em. You’re foolish if you don’t try to pursue ’em and at least listen.”

The question now is the intensity of that dialogue. For example, Dallas still is said to be reluctant to include forward Dirk Nowitzki in its bid, with Indiana having similar reservations with center Jermaine O’Neal.

I personally would not like this deal to happen. Although I dont like Eddie Jones and I have no problem shipping Grant out of town, I dont think the Heat (Or Miami) needs a media whore like Shaq around. Yes, Miami needs a big man in the middle, all he would have to do is grab rebounds and block shots – and REALLY hustle. Shaq has been taking nights off for the past 2 seasons. In addition to the Heat needing a center they also need a backup point guard. Why they picked that high school kid INSTEAD of Jameer Nelson I’ll never know. Now Austin signed with Toronto… Pat Riley WTF man?!?!