Not since Bernie Madoff went to jail has someone been paid so much money to dash so many dreams. Numerous sources report that the Oakland Raiders are on the verge of releasing JaMarcus Russell after three undistinguished seasons playing quarterback for the franchise. The former number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft battled weight problems as well as a general lack of competence at the position. When the Raiders traded for former Redskins quarterback, Jason Campbell, on draft day, it was clear that Russell’s days were numbered.
I am interested to see which NFL team will take a flier on Russell, still just 24 years old, because his right arm is legendary. In fact, in his pre-draft workouts in 2007, Russell famously was able to throw the ball 85 yards standing, 70 yards from his knees, and 40 yards from the seat of his pants. His problems lie between the ears however (not to mention his gut), as the $39 million he will have been paid by the Raiders was not enough to motivate him to become even a serviceable NFL quarterback.
Now that even the Raiders, widely considered to be the NFL stop of last resort, have cast Russell aside, I think it’s safe to say that Ryan Leaf now has some company atop all of those “Biggest Bust in NFL History” lists. As if you needed any more evidence of that fact, try typing JaMarcus Russell into Google and you see that one of the top suggestions is shockingly enough: “JaMarcus Russell Bust.”
Posted by Marion Brooks 
