Canada has football and legalized marijuana. I guess Ricky Williams couldn't be happier.

While his $270,000 contract this year to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League pales in comparison to his normal NFL salary, the former/future Miami Dolphins running back is spending his year from suspension north of the border due to, as motivational Matt Foley might say, "not using his papers for writin', but for rollin' doobies!"

But let's be honest — not every American athlete is playing under the maple leaf because of the pot laws. The common banishment to the CFL is usually because a player can't hack it in the American circuit.

Take, for example, Eric Crouch. Five short years ago Crouch won the Heisman Trophy during his senior season at Nebraska. While his official position is quarterback and he did line up under center, it's hard to use that word when he ran for twice as many touchdowns (18) as he threw (7) and he scampered almost as many yards (1,115) as he tossed (1,510).

Crouch was not drafted by the Rams as a quarterback but a wide receiver. While he retired the following preseason, citing injury reasons, we all knew he wanted to wear a No. 7, not No. 87.

Whoa, I was just talking about Ricky Williams and I got onto the subject of Eric Crouch. Am I high? Perhaps, but it all fits in. Crouch is also on the Argonauts roster. There's the tie-in.

There are a handful of familiar NCAA/NFL faces are on the Toronto Argonauts roster, such as:

• USC and Jackonville Jaguars WR R. Jay Soward
• Texas State and Browns/Vikings QB Spergon Wynn
• U. of Oregon and Dallas Cowboys DB Kenny Wheaton
• U. of Michigan S Chuck Winters
• U. of Tennessee DE Jonathan Brown

OK, some of those players aren't so familiar. But a bevy of the Argonauts' roster boasts several former NCAA student-athletes.

Also, Damon Allen, younger brother of NFL Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, is the Argonauts' quarterback, and a mighty fine one at that.

The entire league, actually, is full of NCAA/NFL immigrants:

• BC Lions: Notre Dame/Denver Broncos QB Jarious Jackson
• Calgary Stampeders: Florida State QB Danny McManus
• Edmonton Eskimos: Chargers/Cardinals OL (and great name) Raleigh Roundtree
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers: U. of Oregon/Minnesota Vikings RB (and Whizzinator spokesperson) Onterrio Smith
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers: U. of Tennessee and national championship game-winning QB Tee Martin
• Florida State/Chargers CB Tay Cody
• Montreal Alouettes: U. of Georgia/Cowboys QB Quincy Carter

It's clearly an incomplete list of all NCAA athletes on the eight CFL team rosters. But while we can all make jokes about Ricky Williams (and we will, in fact I encourage it), he's not the only player to seek asylum in the CFL after getting suspended for marijuana (Onterrio Smith), win a Heisman Trophy (Eric Crouch), play in the NFL playoffs (Quincy Carter), or lead his college team to a bowl victory (McManus, Martin).

Basically, Ricky will fit right in the CFL. Why even come back to Miami? Oh, right. That whole contract thing.