Here is the opening to my Friday column about JaMarcus Russell and his attempt at a comeback: This is either the saddest story or the happiest story ever told. No one knows yet. No one knows until there’s an ending. And the ending hasn’t happened. It is the JaMarcus Russell Story, the story of his comeback, to be precise. If there is a comeback. He is 27 years old, and hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2009 season when… Read More »
This is Grant following up on JaMarcus Russell. My dad has gone over all the different ways this incident further illustrates the tragic profile that is Jabustus. But what happened also reflects miserably on the Oakland Raiders. Russell isn’t the only Bay Area athlete to deal with an addiction (if he is indeed addicted to the syrup). Chris Mullin had a drinking problem early in his career. Don Nelson, to his credit, made Mullin take a leave of absence from… Read More »
A Zohn reader reminded me this morning of something I said on TV after the Raiders released Russell. I said I wouldn’t be surprised if Russell comes to a bad end. Among other things, I had this “syrup” thing in mind. Of course, I never said it; I was intentionally vague. But there were rumors he was using codeine cough syrup mixed with other stuff. I heard the drink is addictive and my faith in Russell was so low I at least… Read More »
JaMarcus Russell got arrested for possession of codeine cough syrup. You need a prescription to get this stuff. I want to be careful here and so I’ll write with many “ifs” and qualifiers. There is a presumption of innocence. So my first if is — what if he really had the stuff without a prescription? If that’s true, he may have some kind of drug problem, perhaps an addiction to codeine. If he has an addiction to codeine, he might… Read More »
