Richards probably just didn't want to do what it took to compete..he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and didn't need money due to his parents being well off and one of them being a doctior..probably where he got his drugs from as well......
when you think about it though, was he smart to do that?......one of the things I think that takes years off of a bodybuilder's life in addition to the drugs is the constant up and down nature of dieting where you are gaining and losing large sums of weight in a short time span....must put a hell of a lot of stress on the heart, cardiovascular system, and other organs........Doctors do say that you are prone to heart attack if you drop weight too fast...and we know that putting on weight fast sends blood pressure through the roof and puts stress on kidneys and liver.....
not to mention the constant overeating.....I really don't think its healthy to constantly have your body in a digestive mode.......sort of like running a car engine without ever turning it off.....this has got to be stressful to the body as well.....
Maybe it was better for him to live the bodybuilding lifestyle in the way HE chose to instead of the way the Weiders wanted