Former Oakland Raiders quarterback, now the Las Vegas Raiders, and 2007 No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell is facing a lawsuit. Russell reportedly took money that was meant for the football program at Williamson High School, his alma mater.
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According to WKRG, Rusell accepted a $74,000 check from Chris Knowles, a local business owner, as a donation to the football program. The money was meant to purchase weight room equipment; instead, Russell reportedly deposited the check into a credit union and withdrew $55,000.
“Knowles, a lifelong LSU fan, says Russell approached him in the summer of 2022 about making a donation to help Williamson football purchase weight-room equipment. After writing the $74,000 check out to Russell, Knowles said he later stopped payment on the check when Russell wouldn’t provide a receipt of the donation and quit returning his phone calls.”
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Russell joined the staff of his alma mater in 2018 and, after these alleged actions, was relieved as a volunteer assistant coach in the middle of last season. According to a statement from Mobile County Public School officials, the former LSU quarterback will also not be allowed on the school’s campus.
“Earlier this week, it was reiterated to Mr. Russell that he is not permitted to be around the football program or on school campus,” the school district said.
A lawsuit was filed in March 2023 stating that the money was “lent” to Russell by the credit union upon his request. In November 2023, Russell filed a counterclaim against Knowles for stopping payment on the check. The 38-year-old admitted to depositing the money but claimed no wrongdoing. A trial is set to begin in October.
The 38-year-old is one of the more polarizing picks in the NFL draft. Coming out of LSU, Russell was set to be among the best quarterbacks in the league and showed a lot of promise in college. Russell was the first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft; however, his struggles at the next level were evident as he only started 25 games in a span of three seasons.
Russell is arguably the worst No. 1 overall pick in NFL history as he only completed 52.1 percent of his passes, 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, completed 354 passes, 4,083 passing yards, and had a passer rating of 65.2 percent. Russell was out of the league by 2009 and didn’t sniff an NFL roster afterward.
Before his time in the NFL, Russell was a star quarterback at Williamson before heading to LSU. His college career was successful, as he threw for 6,625 yards and 52 touchdowns in three years. Russell is widely regarded as perhaps the biggest bust in NFL history.
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