NFL draft bust JaMarcus Russell is attempting a comeback
One of the biggest busts in NFL draft history would like to return to the league.
JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 draft, is working out and planning a comeback. He hopes.
My first year out, I couldnt watch football, but after a while I couldnt keep the TV off, Russell, who hasnt played in the NFL since 2009, told Yahoo Sports. I got that itchy feeling, but now I gotta watch it, gotta watch. The last few years, the things going through my life, football is my job, and it is how I feed my family. People would say I didnt love the game, but that [ticks] me off. People dont know the real you, but I want people to know the real me and see what I can do.
People are always saying that Im a bust. I want show them Im not. Im committed to this now.
Russell is down to 302 pounds from the 320 he reached last fall and is working out with trainers. Hes being mentored by, among others, Marshall Faulk, Jeff Garcia and Michael Clayton. Although his height (6-6) and age (27) are in his favor, he has a lengthy list of negatives: he was lazy, played poorly and became an NFL laughingstock after his arrest in 2010 for having a codeine syrup without a prescription.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/01/23/nfl-draft-bust-jamarcus-russell-is-attempting-a-cojeback/
Hopefully he does not call 1-800-RYAN-LEAF.