JaMarcus Russell
 Russell in November 2008 | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | August 9, 1985 Mobile, Alabama | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Louisiana State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2007 / round: 1 / pick: 1 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009 | |||||||||
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JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American football quarterback and is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. On January 10, 2007, Russell stated that he had decided to skip his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2007 NFL Draft.[1] The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. In three seasons with the Raiders, Russell finished 7–18 as a starter[2] before his release on May 6, 2010.[3]
Personal
Russell was born in Mobile, Alabama to Bobby Lloyd and Zina L. Russell-Anderson, a machine operator in a furniture factory and a law firm secretary, respectively.
During his time with the Raiders, ten of Russell's relatives also passed away.[4]
His uncle Ray Ray Russell was a long-time DJ and radio host for the Mobile, Alabama-based station WBLX until his death in 2009. In 2011 his cousin DeAngelo Parker started Ray Ray's Chicken and Waffles franchise in honor of him in Mobile,Alabama .[5]
Russell is a cousin of Robert Jordan, formerly of the California Golden Bears and San Francisco 49ers, and Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks.
Hurricane Katrina
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Russell housed around a dozen evacuees in his off-campus apartment after they had escaped the flood waters in New Orleans--including New Orleans singer Fats Domino.[6]
Charity
In a 2011 interview with Sports Illustrated, Russell said he has used some of the $39 million or so he was paid by the Raiders -- $32 million was guaranteed -- on charitable deeds in Mobile.
Those things included paying for turkeys at Thanksgiving food drives, purchasing supplies and library books for local schools and uniforms for local sports teams, underwriting church renovations and more.
"If I do go broke, it's going to be from providing for my neighborhood and my family." So why isn't his charitable work more publicized? "My business is my business. That's how I prefer it. I gotta look up to God. I don't gotta look out to no damn news cameras!"[7]
Codeine use, Health, Weight and Intelligence Questions
On October 29, 2010, a Mobile County grand jury declined to indict Russell on the charge of possession of codeine syrup without a prescription.[8] By at least one account, the arrest severely diminished his prospects of catching on with another NFL team.[9]
Rumors of "purple drank" use by Russell had been noted by local journalists for some time during his tenure with the Raiders, but not reported due to the lack of evidence or corroboration.[10][11] In an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez, Russell stated that he tested positive for codeine after he was selected by the Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft.[12]
In addition to Russell's weight issues, Russell was also diagnosed with Sleep apnea.[13]
Despite accusations of poor intelligence, JaMarcus Russell's Wonderlicscore of 24 is around average. The Wonderlic test is the NFL's metric for gauging the intelligence of its players.[14]
Football Career
High School
Russell attended Lillie B. Williamson High School.
For all four years under head coach Bobby Parrish, Russell started and never missed a football game. In his freshman year, Russell completed 180-of-324 passes for 2,683 yards and 20 touchdowns as Williamson reached the state championship game. By the next season, Russell had grown to six-foot-three and 185 pounds, had received his first recruiting letters and was becoming more adept with the playbook. Russell passed for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns during his sophomore year and led the team to the semifinals.[15]
His 10,774 career passing yards broke the Alabama High School Athletic Association record and still stands today.[16]
Russell was at the center of an ESPN Outside the Lines story on high school sports in Mobile.[17] He also played basketball and threw the javelin in track and field.
College
- Columbus Touchdown Club SEC Player of the Year (2005)
- 4x SEC Offensive Player of the Week (1 in 2005, 3 in 2006)
- First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches (2006)
- Manning Award (2006)
- Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist (2006)
Russell's best college season was his senior year; he completed 219-of-372 passes for 3,332 yards and 22 touchdowns, and rushed for another 400 yards and five touchdowns. This earned Russell Parade magazine All-American honorable mention honors.[18]
Professional
After being selected with the first pick of the 2007 NFL draft, new head-coach Lane Kiffin refused to work with JaMarcus Russell.[19] Russell held out[20] until the Raiders signed him to a contract worth $61 million with $32 million guaranteed.[21]
Russell's 2009 passer rating of 50.0 was the lowest rating by a starting quarterback in the NFL since 1998.[22] His final stats during his tenure as a Raider were 52.1 % pass completion, 18–23 TD-INT ratio, a passer rating of 65.2, and 15 lost fumbles.[22]
On May 6, 2010, The Raiders released Russell in 2010.[23]
On May 8, 2010, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said that "now would not be the right time" for the Saints to sign Russell, but added in that it's "newsworthy" when a high draft pick is released so soon, and stated that "players like Russell often get a second chance in the NFL."[24] However, due in part to concerns about his work ethic, as of 2011 his number has yet to be called by another NFL team.[9]
On May 16, 2010, it was reported that several teams were interested in signing Russell and were exploring moving him to another position.[25]
The Raiders filed a grievance on May 28, 2010, seeking $9.55 million back from Russell for what was paid as salary advances for the 2010–12 NFL seasons.[22] Russell's agent said "The money in question was fully guaranteed. That is why JaMarcus was forced to hold out and miss all of training camp as a rookie. The Raiders know that and this is our only comment."[26]
The Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League were interested in Russell and even included him on their training camp roster. Despite this, Russell did not accept.
Russell has stated that he has no intentions of joining the Arena Football League, United Football League, or the Canadian Football League and wants to still play in the NFL.[27] As of July 6, 2010, the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats hold Russell's rights.[28]
On September 26, 2010, ESPN.com reported that Russell had moved to Houston, Texas, was working out with former NBA standout and head coach John Lucas, and was also consulting with him as a 'life coach.'[29] Lucas went through numerous drug issues while a professional athlete, and has counseled others in similar situations after he retired as a player. The relationship was likely an attempt by Russell to eventually return to the NFL.
On November 2, 2010, Russell worked out for the Washington Redskins, along with about two dozen other free agents.[30] It was also reported that Russell weighed 286 pounds at the workout.[31]
On November 15, 2010, Russell, now at 292 pounds, worked out for the Miami Dolphins with four other quarterbacks (Tom Brandstater, Tommy Grady, J. T. O'Sullivan, and Patrick Ramsey) to replace an injured Chad Pennington on the Dolphins' roster. Ramsey was eventually signed.[32]
In January 2011, Lucas attempted to arrange a meeting for Russell with Baltimore Ravens president Ozzie Newsome when the Ravens executive was in Mobile for the Senior Bowl; however, Newsome refused to meet with Russell.[33]
In April 2011, Lucas, who had become frustrated with Russell's lack of work ethic, reportedly severed all ties with the quarterback and asked him to leave the Houston area.[33]
No Oakland player has worn Russell's #2 since his release. In 2011, newly drafted QB Terrelle Pryor's request to wear #2 was turned down by coach Hue Jackson; it is widely believed that the Raiders did not want another highly touted quarterback wearing the same number as the disappointing Russell.[34]
Opinions
NFL.com's Steve Wyche has claimed that Russell is the biggest draft bust in NFL history.[35] The Huffington Post named Russell one of the 13 biggest draft busts of the 2000s.[36] ESPN's Bill Williamson called Russell a "talented but extremely disappointing" quarterback.[37]
References
- ^ Guilbeau, Glenn (January 11, 2007). "LSU's JaMarcus Russell is going pro". The Shreveport Times.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "JaMarcus Russell NFL & AFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. 1985-08-09. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Oakland Raiders get quarterback Jason Campbell in trade with Washington Redskins – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/jamarcus-russell-tells-his-side-of-the-story-in-sports-illustrated-story/2011/10/26/gIQADHQRMM_blog.html
- ^ Simmons, Rusty (August 8, 2007). "It's all relative: Raiders' Russell bunks down with a Bear". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ "LSU QB shares home with Fats Domino". MSNBC. 2005-09-04.
- ^ http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/10/jamarcus_russell_has_unfinishe.html
- ^ "No charges for JaMarcus Russell in 'purple drank' case". USATODAY.com. 2010-10-29. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ a b Wertheim, L. Jon (October 31, 2011). "The Man Who Isn't There". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Carroll, Chuck (2010-07-05). "Codeine Rumors Swirled Around JaMarcus Russell Prior to Arrest". Footballnewsnow.com. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "JaMarcus Russell Admits Positive Test For Codeine". SportsCenter.com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/25/jamarcus-russell-blames-sleep-apnea-tom-cable-bad-teammates/
- ^ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/wonderlic-scores-of-2010-nfl-starting-quarterbacks-and-339905.html
- ^ Sack, Kevin (2001-02-27). "Cash Crunch Imperils High School Football". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
- ^ "Individual Football Records", AHSAA, retrieved 2010-06-05
- ^ "ESPN.com – Page2 – Outside the Lines: Death, Taxes, Football". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ 2002 Postseason High School Football All-American Teams. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ http://www.aolnews.com/2008/09/30/al-davis-to-lane-kiffin-quit-embarrassing-the-organization-ge/
- ^ "Sources: Long holdout for Russell – NFL – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ Gay, Nancy (September 12, 2007). "Russell's millions argue for rookie salary cap". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "Oakland Raiders seeking $9.55 million from JaMarcus Russell – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5168757
- ^ "Coach Sean Payton: New Orleans Saints not interested in JaMarcus Russell – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Sunday at the Post". National Football Post. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "JaMarcus Russell ruling out Canadian, Arena leagues as part of comeback effort?". USA Today. May 18, 2010.
- ^ "UFL could still be an option for JaMarcus | ProFootballTalk.com". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Sources: John Lucas advising ex-Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell". ESPN. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ "Redskins work out ex-Oakland QB JaMarcus Russell". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Nov. 2, 2010 – 6:55 PM ET (2010-11-02). "Report: Russell weighs in at 286 pounds". NBCsports.NSNBC.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fins kicked tires on five quarterbacks". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ a b "Sources: 'Life coach' gives up on QB Russell". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ Killion, Ann (August 26, 2011). "New number, opportunity for Pryor". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Wyche, Steve (2010-05-07). "Russell supplants Leaf atop list of all-time draft busts". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "NFL Draft BUSTS: 14 HUGE Draft Disasters Of The Decade (PHOTOS)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell goes unclaimed, clears waivers – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
Further reading
- Wertheim, L. Jon (October 31, 2011). "The Man Who Isn't There". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
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