NFL
JaMarcus Russell refers to himself as the greatest bust in NFL history
JaMarcus Russell refers to himself as the greatest bust in NFL history
- Raiders
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SportsWriters
Appearing on the Pivot Podcast With Ryan Clarke, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell reflected on his failed NFL career.
Russell was selected No. 1 overall during the 2007 NFL Draft. His 31-game career did not live up to expectations. He said he was aware of that and did not mind people referring to his failed stint as a “bust.” However, he demanded fans respect the status by acknowledging it as “the biggest.”
Russell was adamant that it was mainly the Raiders who jeopardized his career. He had a stellar stint on the Bayou with the LSU Tigers, throwing 6,625 passing yards and 52 touchdowns against 21 interceptions. The former BCS National Champion said the team treated him poorly.
Russell was asked whether he was happy about playing for Oakland. He said the Raiders were not a good fit for him. Instead of making him comfortable, he said the Raiders fined him for being overweight.
“They was trying to find ways to get paper back, I thought,” he said. “Then they said I owed them money. Why would I owe them money? I signed a contract.”
Was he that bad?
Through three NFL seasons, Russell completed 52.1% of his passes (354 of 680) for 4,083 yards, 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and had a passer rating of 65.2. In 2008, Russell completed 198 of 368 passes for 2,423 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. The team parted ways with Russell in May 2010 after he was benched by head coach Tom Cable (who had replaced Lane Kiffin a year earlier).
“I regret that I didn’t want to be the footballer I wanted to be when I was a kid. Some (expletive) like Dan Marino. I regret that I couldn’t be that guy. Forget who everyone else wanted me to be .” to be, it used to be about who I sought after to be for myself.”
- JaMarcus Russell
Glory Daze
During his senior year of high school, Russell completed 219 of 372 passes for 3,332 yards and 22 touchdowns, and rushed for 400 yards and five scores. Parade magazine awarded Russell honorable mention for this achievement. The 10,774 yards he accumulated in his career are still an Alabama High School Athletic Association record. ESPN Outside the Lines featured Russell in a story about high school sports in Mobile. Furthermore, he was a basketball player and a javelin thrower.
“They was trying to find ways to get paper back, I thought. Then they said I owed them money. Why would I owe them money? I signed a contract.”
- Jamarcus Russell
"But I was dealt a bulls**t hand. I’m at practice, bro, and these folks couldn’t catch a reverse, bro. Six plays straight, but you want to go downfield and catch a 90-yard pass."
- Jamarcus Russell
WTF is a sip-sip?
In early July of 2010, JaMarcus Russell was arrested for possession of codeine syrup. After being released by the Raiders in May, Russell was arrested at his home and charged with possessing a controlled substance, a Class C felony punishable by one to ten years in prison, assuming no prior convictions.
“We understand that typically sometime this codeine syrup is mixed with a beverage, like Sprite, and they call it sip-sip,” Myles (Mobile County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Lori Myles) told WALA-TV in Mobile.
“I was a little kid. I learned to be a professional athlete and a grown man. After that, I learned faster because I had more time… I lost two uncles just before my rookie season started. I was (expressively) high. (Expletive) didn’t work correctly. and it took a toll on me. Looking back now, I reached out for help.”
- JaMarcus Russell
Social comments
Former Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell said he was 'dealt a [expletive] hand' in the NFL
JaMarcus Russell said he was ‘treated’ [expletive] hand’ of Raiders
Jamarcus Russell today https://sports.yahoo.com/former-raiders-qb-ja-marcus-russell-said-he-was-dealt-expletive-hand-in-the-nfl-202415189.html… Tim Brown, 2010 lol …https://larrybrownsports-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/larrybrownsports.com/football/tim-brown-piles-on-jamarcus-russell/25414?amp=&_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16576733402218&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Flarrybrownsports.com%2Ffootball%2Ftim-brown-piles-on-jamarcus-russell%2F25414…
This doink thinks it's someone else's fault he's a lazy stupid fuck
Awesome. This guy should have talked to Flores so he could claim he was fake drafted.