Russell Arrested

Former Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell has been arrested and released from jail after being caught with codeine syrup in his home in Alabama. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, in an offseason which has been horrible for Russell. In May, Russell was released by the Raiders, after a couple seasons of erratic play and a non-chalant work ethic. Russell was drafted with the first overall pick by the Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft, and has not lived up to his contract.

Russell even held out of training camp his rookie season to get the contract he wanted. That makes it even worse for him, as he failed miserably to live up to the contract. Russell was so terrible that he couldn't even last the duration of his rookie contract. Only one other top pick has been released that quickly, and that was QB Steve Emtman, when the Indianapolis Colts released him three seasons after he was drafted first overall.

Russell has also played so terribly that there probably isn't a team that's interested in signing him as a backup. Former overall top pick QB David Carr was released by the Houston Texans after several unproductive years with them, but he has been able to latch on to other teams as a backup quarterback. Russell may never get the chance to play in the NFL again. Even QB Ryan Leaf was able to go to a second team before his career was over. Russell will have to prove that he is willing to condition and work hard to get his body right. Also, more importantly, Russell has to work on his accuracy, which was a major problem.