JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL
By Steve Corkran
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 at 11:38 am in Oakland Raiders.
More than a year has passed since the Raiders released quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NFL draft. In the past 20 months, numerous rumors have surfaced about Russell being broke, fired by his life coach and headed down a bad path.
Well, for the first time, Russell consented to an interview to address those things, and more. The feature comes out in this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated. Here are some excerpts of the interview, as provided by Sports Illustrated:
Russell said part of his struggles arose from dealing with the death of 11 family members or friends, including uncle and father figure Ray Ray:
“I went through so much no one knew about. Go to a funeral on Saturday, fly into the game on Sunday. Then I hear, ‘He doesn’t lead by example.’ Really?”
Russell says he was betrayed by then-coach Tom Cable:
“I stuck my neck out for him. Didn’t complain when he benched me as the starter. Didn’t complain when he called the same plays five damn times. Didn’t [badmouth] him to other coaches. When the [media] asks me, I say, ‘He’s a good coach, a good guy.’ Then I hear he says I was the worst thing ever happened to the Raiders, if it weren’t for him we’d be in the playoffs?… It just got to where the game wasn’t fun for me.”
Russell said he received more than his share of blame for the Raiders struggles:
“The lack of support from his teammates: “Things weren’t going right, and it felt sometimes like everything fell back on me. I take some responsibility, but I was one guy…. I may have missed a throw, but I didn’t give up 42 points, I didn’t miss a block.”
Also, 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 his hometown of Mobile, Ala.
Those things include: paying for turkeys at Thanksgiving food drives, purchasin supplies and library books for local schools and uniforms for local sports teams, underwriting the renovation for his church, building ramps for wheelchair-bound residents and rewarding kids with straight A’s with bikes, MP3 players and GoPhones.
“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!”
On reports that he slept during team meetings with the Raiders, Russell had this to say:
“In the NFL, my first year, I had to be there at 6:30 before practice and be on the treadmill for an hour. Then meetings come, I sit down, eat my fruit. We watch film, and maybe I got tired. Coach Flip [quarterback coach John DeFilippo] pulled me aside and said, ‘What are you doing for night life?’ I said, ‘Coach, I’m just chilling.’ He said, ‘I need to get you checked out.’ I did the sleep test, and they said I had apnea.”
Life coach John Lucas told Sports Illustrated that he did’t fire Russell.
“I don’t know where that [report] came from. JaMarcus is a good kid, I’m telling you, who just needs to find his motivation. But we still talk. Have him tell you about his sleep apnea. A lot [of his issues] come from that. And no one knows it.”
Russell denied being broke, too.
“Football isn’t paying me now. You make $1 million a game and you can do whatever. It’s not like that anymore; I need to put myself in a place where those zeroes in the bank last for a long time. But I’m not broke. Far from it.”
As for what the future holds, Russell said:
“I’ll keep moving, man. But what if I don’t make it back to the NFL? I’ll be O.K. Being a competitor, I feel like I have unfinished business. Like, ‘It can’t end like this.’ But want to know the truth? I know that the game don’t owe me a damn thing.”
Follow me on Twitter: @corkonthenfl
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
October 25th, 2011 at 11:39 am
FK u Russell!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:46 am
OK now the Freak’n sky is falling! LMAO!!!!
You dare post this BS to the wall Steve?????
ARE YOU MAD MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:47 am
This is what you do when you are broke as a joke. You write a story about it for change.
Waste of what ever talent he had!!!!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Well, all is heresay…what did you expect him to say…that he F’d up?
October 25th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Cool. I guess the kid just wasn’t ready to handle it.
Good luck Russell.
Can we please let it go??
October 25th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Absolutely ZERO remorse.. What a jack ass.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Well, if he truly is spending some of that guaranteed money on charity, good for him. At least he’s doing something worthwhile with Al’s money.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Who?
October 25th, 2011 at 11:50 am
i guess it wasn’t his fault
October 25th, 2011 at 11:52 am
you know why he is saying that…so he can blame the Raider org! Like everyone else did…
October 25th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Yea he just blew it
Hope he doest blow dat money just as fast
October 25th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Way to twist the knife Steve. We are trying to forget Russell.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:54 am
# hwnrdr Says:
October 25th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Well, all is heresay…what did you expect him to say…that he F’d up?
+++++++++++++++++++
Ummm, yes..Because he did..I have sleep apnea, and idiopathic cardiomyopathy..but I don’t sit here and fall asleep at work, because I ain’t out all night drinkin the purple drank, and d!cking around when coaches are talking to me.
This dude was on the Al Davis all Scholarship team, they gave him EVERY opportunity to succeed and he just threw it back in their faces and took a dump on it..
The reason JaMarcus Russell is at home right now is because of JaMarcus Russell…
October 25th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Yeah, most professional athletes I know would’ve babied him for another 3-4 yrs before cutting him.
Stupid Raiders. He was just about to have a break out season!
Please croke.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:55 am
raidertay Says:
October 25th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Would love to see the Raiders and SD go at it on National TV both at 5-3. That would be an epic battle.
We have to do our part and beat the Donkeys. They should keep MM34 spied on Tebow all game. Tebow is too fast for most LBs and too strong for most DBs. MM34 would be a perfect matchup.
——————————–
MM34 or Curry. Those seem like the two best-equipped to handle #15.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:56 am
I agree MikieG…but I said that because we all know that he would never come out and say that he F’d up! i would have respected him more if he did, though!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:57 am
And darn you Steve…I already washed my hands clean of anything J. Russell!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:57 am
NEW POST STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’M DONE W/ THIS CLOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I THOUGHT WE ALL MOVED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:57 am
Sleep Apnea huh….had nothing to do with Sizzurp. Like Al said. Jamarcus wasnt battling some demons that they just couldnt help him with. That sounds like code word for drug addiction.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Loser!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Im not saying no.2 doesnt deserve a lot of the criticism he gets but I am always Leary of the media as it pertains to black public figures. The media definitely has an agenda and is often unfair in the way the characterize black people.
Want proof?
“If Jackson sticks to business and subdues his vaudeville tendencies, that’s what will happen.” – mark purdy
Why would a professional writer use vaudeville in reference to jackson? Would he use it if he was discussing rex ryan, or schwartz?
Please be clear, jamarcuss screwed himself. i dont however believe everything that i read about him in the media.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Yes he is right, the game don’t owe him a damn thing. As a human-being I wish him the best providing for his nieghboorhood. As a raider and football player … F-you
October 25th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Hell no, the game don’t owe you a damn thing. You already got more than most players ever will, and you did SQUAT to earn it.
No pity from me. EVER. FOAD, you lazy freaking slug. I wish you nothing but trouble for the rest of your dismal days. You are NOTHING.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
13. Yup.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
23. yup
October 25th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
You see excuses never sound good coming from a pro qb. especially qbs that flopped, quit, underachieved, or played poorly.
Just keep quiet say you messed it up and get better.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
sleep apnea, once diagnosed, is treatable.
and yes, if you have sleep apnea, and spend 9 hours a night, in bed, sleeping, you will still fall asleep at work, fall asleep while driving, fall asleep while watching tv or playing video games. When you have sleep apnea, you might wake up 300 times a night. And without even knowing it.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Hey Steve,
If you wanted to stir things up a bit, you should of asked me.
Reece is back at practice. Great news.
Reece > Tonga
lol
October 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Wow. Thought Russell might take some accountability and at least say he’s trying to turn things around. Clearly he still doesn’t get it. Forever the victim. Everyone else’s fault but his.
If he hadn’t already closed the door on ever getting another look from an NFL team, these comments probably have done it.
Impressive that he used some of his $40 mil to buy turkeys and bicycles for people
. At least he’s not out there taking credit for … oh wait.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Apnea must be a symptom of Purple Drank and Fast Food.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I think this might be the worst post following a 28-0 loss. Russell talk? really? next post better come soon before we all go crazy.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Bo Jackson.. That is all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UalvkUmL7Wo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
October 25th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
“You al goin’ make me lose my mind…up in here!”
October 25th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Apnea = Sipping that sizzurp and smoking that barney
October 25th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
*all
October 25th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
It wasn’t sleep apnea. .. it was a heavy dose of purple drank that was putting him to sleep….. maybe cable was drinking the same thing….
October 25th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
New post
October 25th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Would #2 like any Purple Drank to go with his whine?
October 25th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
This is how sports illustrated tries to make up the blunder of not putting al davis on the cover after passing away??? A story about this loser??? Pathetic! “
October 25th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
The problem with this is that many other QB’s come out of college with the same issues he had to deal with and they deal with it.
He chose to be a slacker and not to solve his problems and to place blame wherever he can.
Suck it up be a man!
October 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Jamarcus I got your jersey before your 1st start at home vs SD. Stuck up for you when EVERYONE said you were trash. Even said what’s up to u when I saw your fat ass “walking” up the court at the LA fitness I go to here in Scottsdale just before you were let go. Bottom line is you never tried and let the Nation down. Your worthless
October 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Yep, once diagnosed, sleep apnea is totally treatable. Thus, if they “had him checked out,” he would have been fitted with the device to wear to bed, and w/in a mere few days, the change would have been totally noticeable, like going from night to day. Yet, we hear there was no noticeable change in his behavior and demeanor and performance from what we have read and certainly from what we witnessed.
I too hope that JaMarcus does well in life. The mistakes were on his part and that of the Raiders as well. When you’re going to invest the amount of money Al was willing to invest in small-town kid from LA as a first pick, you had better know a great deal about him as a person, and that involves talking to much more than his coaches. The minute they found out (as I think they must have) that he was very dependent on his uncle, the alarms should have gone off. This was (probably still is) a young man who won’t do well thousands of miles from home, in a totally different social environment, and separated from his family.
October 25th, 2011 at 12:29 pm
My son wouldn’t let me buy the jamarcus jersey as a joke, even tho it was only ten bucks
October 25th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
LOL….Excuses excuses! Some football players suffer from Bipolarism and other issues but still perform on the field because their job is their livelyhood. If Russell was suffering from sleep apnea why the heck was he drinking purple syrup? I don’t think a doctor would recommend illegal drug usage while treating sleep apnea. Good and well Jamarcus is spending money for charity purposes but Turkeys, books, bikes, MP3 etc. don’t cost that much. Why the heck didn’t he build a new church for his congregation? Jamarcus need to come with a better one than this. Gee Wiz give me a break!
October 25th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Still blaming others for his character defects. Life’s hard, wear a helmet…
October 25th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
# hwnrdr Says:
October 25th, 2011 at 11:56 am
I agree MikieG…but I said that because we all know that he would never come out and say that he F’d up! i would have respected him more if he did, though!
+++++++++++++++++++
Absolutely! Me too!
October 25th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
# The Judge Says:
October 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
sleep apnea, once diagnosed, is treatable.
and yes, if you have sleep apnea, and spend 9 hours a night, in bed, sleeping, you will still fall asleep at work, fall asleep while driving, fall asleep while watching tv or playing video games. When you have sleep apnea, you might wake up 300 times a night. And without even knowing it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah, its real fun. Its what killed Reggie White..I got my CPAP machine and Im a new man..now If I can just get this cardiomyopathy under control, I might live 30 more years..hopefully.
October 25th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
It was Al’s fault.
October 25th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
I have sleep apnea. That little device is one pain in the neck. It is noisy. It blows air into your face and feels a bit like you are drowning on air. Then with a face mask that looks like darth vadar and is snug over your nose and mouth your are supposed to relax and go to sleep. Ugh.
October 25th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Plus, I hate closed in places. Good God. And with the thing on, you can’t watch tv or do anything but look up at the ceiling. Sigh.
October 25th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Put simply, this is an attempt at garnering sympathy at the cost of a bad draft pick and low work ethic. He was simply not ready to compete at the NFL level and put the work in, and the Raiders didnt background check Russell (to check for apnea and codeine addiction) or have a plan in place to develop him due to the coaching turnover and equally bad free agents. In hindsight, the better pick might have been Calvin Johnson, who went exactly one pick later. ..I’d also like to add the really cool idea to have an SI cover for JaMarcus Russell but none of Al Davis, who helped make the merger happen and evolve the current NFL landscape.
October 25th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Still is and always will be the worst thing to ever happen to the Raiders. The guy is as dumb as a fence post. LOSER! Al’s biggest mistake. I have no sympathy for this waste of human flesh.
October 25th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Lemme get this straight… JaThargic Russell says it’s all the Raiders fault – players, coaches, and management.
Then why, prey tell us JaCarcass, WHY is it no other NFL bothered to give you a chance?
Surely if it was all on the Raiders, you could flourish elsewhere, no?
Lookie here, fat boy, Reggie White DIED of sleep apnea, yet no one ever said it effected his play on Sundays… why did it effect you this way?
Lemme see… large amounts of codeine make you sleepy and have an adverse effect on your respiration… it is what it is.
Hope JaCarcass gets honest one day, before he ends up with a tag on his toe…
October 25th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Hey… JaCarcass…. Everyone said you sucked and were an idiot because you sucked and were an idiot.
Cable called the same play 5 times in a row? Maybe that’s because you were too stupid to learn more than 4 plays.
You’re as dumb as a bowl of mice and no amount of finger pointing is going to change that.
You were fat, lazy and the game moved way too fast for your low IQ to keep up with at the NFL level.
Maybe you didn’t miss any blocks or give up 48 points, but you DID stand there in the pocket like a complete imbecile waiting for someone to hit your fat, slow-motion arse and strip the ball. When they didn’t, you usually managed to launch a ridiculous looking pass in some totally unpredictable direction.
What a damned moron….
October 25th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
SI is putting this idiot on the cover? Good grief.
October 25th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
I’ve seen enough of JaFloppus for a lifetime….I don’t think we need any ” how’s JaFlubber doing” articals..
October 25th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
[...] Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell has given an interview to Sports Illustrated (via the Oakland Tribune). Russell has given a few interviews since being cut by Oakland in May, 2010, but not many. Russell [...]
October 25th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
[...] Russell has finally awoken long enough to give an interview with Sports Illustrated. Russell seems to believe he got a raw deal, was undermined by Head Coach Tom Cable, and he [...]
October 25th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
I think he meant to say that “He doesn’t owe the game a d*** thing”… that’s classic. Sad part is he probably represents Davis biggest disappointment over the last 20 years. And to think that if Al had listened to Kiffin we probably would have drafted Megatron and, maybe, pulled off a trade for Rodgers. Wow, what a turn of events that would have been…
October 26th, 2011 at 2:35 am
To me it sounds like PR to repair his image and attempt to get back into the NFL.
October 26th, 2011 at 5:11 am
Wow! This guy is an effing joke. It sounds to me like he is broke and making the same old tired excuses he made while he was a Raider. Uhh uhh yea Ive made contributions to my town and coach Cable had it out for me, please dude grow the eff up and take responsiblity for your lack of self disciplne and motivation. You were given the tools to be a success from the god up above….stop hiding behind him and be a man.
October 26th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
I would like to see any of you deal with 11 deaths in a short period of time and actually give a dam about football. You can’t know what he was going through so you should’nt judge. As far as the $$ he received, you fans should take a look at who’s bright idea it was to pay him that much. Was his stability and reliability really investigated. Or were decisions made based on stats alone? Maybe he didn’t try his hardest…maybe he did, but until we walk a mile in his shoes it’s best to keep negative comments to ourselves. One thing is for sure, he was not soley responsible for poor seasons. If I’m not mistaken, he was not on defense….is he somehow responsible for letting opposing teams score??? I agree that his career was a bust and he should be accountable to that fact, but to take ownership for the entire sorry organization sucking???? uhhhm not so much!
October 26th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
[...] Adsense WPFormer Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell has given an interview to Sports Illustrated (via the Oakland Tribune). Russell has given a few interviews since being cut by Oakland in May, 2010, but not many. Russell [...]
November 13th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
how to fall asleep fast…
[...]JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…
December 27th, 2011 at 6:18 am
alcoholic cardiomyopathy…
[...]JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…
January 15th, 2012 at 2:28 am
NEED CASH PAYDAY CREDITS…
[...]JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…
February 11th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
bipap…
[...]JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…
March 9th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Propolis Melia…
[...]JaMarcus Russell talks with S.I. about Raiders career, rumors, life after NFL – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…