Former No. 1 NFL draft pick JaMarcus Russell has been fired from his position as head coach of his high school football team for allegedly stealing donations.
Mobile County Public School officials announced the news earlier this week in a statement to WKRG Sports. According to officials, Russell is facing a lawsuit accusing him of stealing a $74,000 check that was supposed to be a donation to Williamson High School.
“JaMarcus Russell was relieved of his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year,” read the statement.
Chris Knowles, who wrote the check, said that Russell asked him to donate to help the school’s football team upgrade their weight room. Knowles signed the check, but the school never received the funds because Russell allegedly deposited it into a credit union and withdrew $55,000.
In a statement to WKRG, the school district confirmed that Russell is now banned from being around the football team or on school grounds. He was informed of this ban earlier in the week when he attended a football team event.
Russell was once a football star at the school, leading the team to the championship game in his freshman year. Later, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft and played three seasons with the Oakland Raiders, achieving a 52.1 percent completion rate, 18 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.