Former Number 1 overall pick QB JaMarcus Russell was arrested this past weekend for felony possession of a controlled substance, codeine syrup, and released on $2,500 bail. Russell was severely overestimated coming out of LSU because of his immense size and physical abilities. The first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft belonged to Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders who selected Russell and thereby set the franchise back by 5 years. JaMarcus immediately caused problems by holding out for nearly his entire rookie season and barely saw any playing time in ’07. Russell was pretty abysmal during his Raiders career compiling only a 7-18 record as a starter while throwing only 18 TDs compared to 23 INTs. His career passer rating is a paltry 65.2. Russell was the reason former Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin was ousted during his second season at the helm because owner Al Davis insisted Russell start while Kiffin believed him incapable. The Raiders finally benched Russell during this season and actually success with former wash-ups Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye who each won multiple games for the Raiders last year. Russell was released after the season after receiving nearly $40 million from the Raiders over 3 seasons. Several teams including the New York Jets showed mild interest in Russell but none considered him a potential starter. Russell is quickly making a case to be the biggest bust in NFL draft history as I can’t imagine any team in their right mind taking a chance on him after this arrest. This is Russell’s first offense so he probably won’t be sanctioned by the law too harshly. Unfortunately an added character flag may be enough to keep Russell out of the NFL for good.
I guess there’s always the UFL.
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