Photo courtesy of Instagram.
Former NFL running back Ricky Williams appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz podcast and revealed that he officially changed his name to Errick Miron. Miron said he made the change more than a year-and-a-half ago to his wife of five years last name, Linnea. He addressed the name change after it was noticeably different on the zoom call.
“Something I’ve been thinking about and talking about, and I finally went through the steps,” Miron said. “It was quick and easy, and it felt really meaningful.”
While the 45-year-old’s birth name was Errick, Ricky was the moniker he used throughout his athletic career. A desire to create more balance in his marriage was one of his main reasons for changing his surname. In addition, Miron said he learned more about his relationship with Linnea after taking a relationship-astrology class.
“I learned so much about our dynamic,” he said. “My wife is an attorney, so she can handle herself, but I’m the famous one. She’s been used to being the hotshot around her friends, but she comes around me, and people forget she exists. I started thinking of ways to create more balance in our relationship, and one of the things that popped into my head was taking her last name.”
When asked if his wife was “moved by the gesture,” Miron said, “I think it’s cool,” adding, “It’s somewhere where we can both win.”
The San Diego native also revealed surprising details about his former last name and how the surname became part of his family.
“It’s like one of those family secrets,” he said. “Williams was my grandmother’s husband’s name, and he wasn’t my dad’s father, so Williams isn’t really my last name. I find more meaning in this last name than Williams.”
Miron, a longtime cannabis advocate, continues to sell the psychoactive drug under the Ricky Williams brand. However, he believes the name change only makes him more interesting.
“To me, this makes the story of Ricky Williams more interesting.”
As Williams, Miron was a collegiate superstar who played for the Longhorns at the University of Texas and became a Heisman Trophy winner in 1998. In his 11-year NFL career, he played for the New Orleans Saints, three stints with the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens before he retired in 2011. While injuries, suspension, and retirement cut his career short, Miron was a powerful NFL player, being one of 30 running backs in the league to reach 10,000 career rushing yards.