JaMarcus Russell

JaMarcus Russell played professional football as the starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League until 2010. He was selected by the Raiders with the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RussJa00.htm

Russell, who was absent from the beginning of the Raiders voluntary workouts in March of 2009, showed up on March 26, 2009. Raiders coach, Tom Cable, reportedly reminded Russell of his need to embrace a leadership role on the team, which included attending these extra sessions.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/raiders/detail?blogid=11&entry_id=37535

On July 5, 2010, Russell was arrested after being found with a controlled substance by police. He was found with codeine syrup and arrested during an undercover investigation. Russell did not have a prescription for the drug on him at the time of his arrest. Russell would be released on $20,000 bail.http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/jamarcus_russell_arrested.html

Russell became the starting quarterback for the LSU Tigers in 2005, leading the team to a 10-1 regular season record. Russel was injured in a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. He led the Tigers to the Sugar Bowl in 2006, defeating Notre Dame, and was named the Sugar Bowl's MVP.http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174908

After being drafted number one overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 draft, Russell signed a six-year contract with the Raiders worth up to $68 million. He played in his first professional game on December 2, 2007, against the Denver Broncos, and started the final game of the season against the San Diego Chargers.

Russell was the Raiders' starting quarterback in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, he played in 15 games for Oakland, throwing for 2423 yards and 13 touchdowns and, while also tossing eight interceptions. His numbers dropped in the 2009 season, as he threw for just 1287 yards in 12 games, with just three touchdowns and 11 interceptions.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RussJa00.htm During the season, Russell would lose his starting job to Bruce Gradkowski.

The Raiders traded for quarterback Jason Campbell in the 2010 offseason, leading many to speculate that Russell's days as the quarterback of the Raiders were numbered. On May 7, 2010, the team released Russell.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5168757 He has not signed with an NFL team since his release.