Monday marked the end of one of the strangest -- and at times spectacular -- careers in Miami Dolphins history.

Ricky Williams signed a two-year, $2.5-million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, after spending nine often tumultuous seasons in Miami.

Williams leaves as the Dolphins' second all-time leading rusher, with 6,436 yards, and his 48 TDs on the ground are also second in franchise history.

But, Ricky was about so much more than just numbers.

He famously struggled with social anxiety disorder, avoidance disorder, and borderline personality disorder, the latter of which current Dolphin Brandon Marshall recently revealed he suffers from.

Williams infamously quit the team in 2004 just before it was revealed he had tested positive for marijuana for a second time, and he retreated to study Ayurveda, the Indian system of holistic medicine.

When Williams unretired in 2005, he split time with No. 2 overall pick Ronnie Brown, then tested positive again for marijuana and was banned for the 2006 season. He played in the CFL instead, then failed yet another drug test, and was suspended for part of 2007 before Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated him.

Williams was always, if nothing else, an honest athlete, and a true seeker, constantly looking for something that would make him happy. He never seemed to love football wholeheartedly, but he was good at it, and because of that he made a good living, so he continued to play.

His 2002 season will always be remembered as the greatest by a running back in team history. In his first year in Miami, Williams led the league in rushing with 1,853 yards on an NFL-high 383 carries, and he was named an All-Pro for the only time in his career.

Williams followed that performance with 1,372 yards in 2003, the second-highest single season total for a Dolphins running back, on a league-leading 392 carries.

But ironically, his three years spent largely away from the game prolonged his football life.

And when Brown went down with yet another injury in 2009, Williams assumed the starting role, and never seemed to miss a beat, rushing for 1,121 yards at age 32, and setting an NFL record for most seasons (six) between 1,000-yard campaigns.

Williams continued to play a key role for the team in 2010, but with the running game in decline, and Williams no longer among the swiftest backs and getting up in years, the Dolphins decided not to offer him a new contract this season.

On his twitter account, he thanked the fans for what they had done for him, and oddly enough, the man who was so villified for running from the team when times were darkest had emerged as a true fan favorite by the end of his tenure here.

His metamorphosis was such that in his later years in Miami, he became a team leader and elder statesman, well-respected by his teammates, and a favorite of no-nonsense Bill Parcells.

I think people in this town could see that Williams was genuine. They could relate to him because even though he had been blessed with the ability to play football at the highest level, in the end he had the same worries and issues as the rest of us who are trying to find a place in this world.

He let down his guard and let the fans in, and was perhaps the most human of the hundreds of football players who have donned the aqua and white.

I was one of those who was angry with how he left in 2004, and I even vowed to burn the jersey I owned with his number. But last year, when I attended my only Dolphins game of the season, I was proudly wearing No. 34.

The humanity Williams showed, more than any of his impressive deeds on the football field, is what he will be remembered for in the years to come.

That was Ricky's true legacy.