John David "Jack" Tatum (November 18, 1948 – July 27, 2010) was an American football defensive back who played ten seasons from 1971 through 1980 for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly known as "The Assassin."^[1] He was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and was a member of one Super Bowl-winning team in his nine seasons with the Raiders.

Tatum earned a reputation as a fierce competitor, and was considered one of the hardest hitters ever to play the game.^[2] In a 2006 poll by Sports Illustrated on the century's best defensive backs, Tatum finished with eight percent of the vote.^[3] He is also known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game. The hit paralyzed Stingley from the chest down. Tatum was also noted for his involvement in the Immaculate Reception play during a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

College career[link]

Tatum was born in Cherryville, North Carolina and grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, where he had little interest in playing sports in his early years. Tatum did not begin playing football until he entered his sophomore year at Passaic High School, where he played as a running back, fullback and defensive back and was selected first-team All-State. He was selected a high school All-American as a high school senior. In 1999, the Newark Star-Ledger named Tatum as one of New Jersey's top ten defensive players of the century.^[4]

Tatum visited a number of universities before starting his collegiate career with the Ohio State University Buckeyes. Head coach Woody Hayes recruited Tatum as a running back. However, assistant coach Lou Holtz convinced Hayes to switch Tatum to defensive back during Tatum's freshman season.^[5] Tatum was used by the Buckeyes to cover the opposing team's best wide receiver but he also was used occasionally as a linebacker due to the nature of his hits and his innate ability to bring down even the biggest fullback or tight end.

Tatum was a first-team All-Big Ten in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In 1969 and 1970 he was a unanimous All American. In 1970 he was selected as the National Defensive Player of the Year and was among the top vote getters for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to the athlete considered to have been the nation's best college football player that year.^[6] Tatum helped lead the Buckeyes to a 27-2 record in his three seasons as a starter, with two national championship appearances and one national championship win in 1968, Tatum's first season with the team. And in the storied rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, Tatum and his fellow Buckeyes won in 1968 by the score of 50-14, lost in 1969 by 24-12, and won again in 1970 by 20-9.^[7][8]

Tatum was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1981^[9] and into the College Football Hall of Fame^[10] in 2005. In 2001, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel instituted the "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award," given to the player who had the most impressive defensive hit of the game.

NFL career[link]

Tatum was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the 19th pick in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft to replace former Oakland safety Dave Grayson, who retired after the 1970 season. A few weeks later, Tatum signed a three-year, six-figure contract with a $50,000 signing bonus.^[11] Tatum was nicknamed "The Assassin", a name he embraced and relished. The origin of the nickname is unclear. Some references indicate that he was already known as "the Assassin" as a hard-hitting safety at Ohio State.^[12] Others indicate that the name came from the hit that paralyzed Darryl Stingley.^[13] Tatum played his first professional game against the Baltimore Colts, in which he tackled and knocked out Colts tight ends John Mackey and Tom Mitchell. Soon after the game, sportswriters started to compare him to Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus because of his hard-hitting skills,^[14] and he became the starting free safety in his rookie year.

Immaculate Reception[link]

Tatum was involved in one of the most famous plays in National Football League history, the Immaculate Reception, during the AFC divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 23, 1972. With 22 seconds left in the game, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Tatum collided with Fuqua, knocking the ball into the air. The ball fell into the hands of Steelers running back Franco Harris, who ran it 42 yards for the game-winning touchdown.^[15]

Hit on Darryl Stingley[link]

In one of the most lasting images from Super Bowl XI on January 9, 1977, Tatum knocked the helmet off Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammy White. This is often regarded as one of the biggest hits in Super Bowl history.^[16] But his most infamous hit came in a preseason game against the New England Patriots on August 12, 1978. Tatum and Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley collided as Stingley was leaping for a pass on an inside slant route, a play the Patriots had run earlier in the game with some success that put him in the path of Tatum. There was an awkward collision as Stingley lowered his helmet to protect himself and hit Tatum's shoulder pad.^[17] The impact badly damaged Stingley's spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of his life. According to Stingley in his 1983 autobiography, Happy To Be Alive, Tatum never made any effort to apologize or to see him after the incident. [1]. Tatum had said he attempted to visit Stingley in the hospital, but was rebuffed by Stingley's family.^[18] The two did not speak from that day until Stingley's death on April 5, 2007, although Stingley related in a 2003 interview that he had forgiven Tatum. "It's hard to articulate," he said. "It was a test of my faith, the entire story. In who, and how much, do you believe, Darryl? In my heart and mind, I forgave Jack Tatum a long time ago."^[19] Tatum never apologized for the hit, saying that the coaches knew it was a risky play and had called it too many times in the game already, that eventually someone was going to get hurt and it just happened to be Stingley when Tatum was playing.^[20] "It could have happened to anybody," said Tatum. "People are always saying, 'He didn't apologize.' I don't think I did anything wrong that I need to apologize for. It was a clean hit."

Later career[link]

Tatum was traded to the Houston Oilers for running back Kenny King and two draft choices in the 1980 NFL Draft.^[21] He finished his pro career with them in 1980, when he played all sixteen games that season, and recorded a career-high seven interceptions to finish with a career total of 37 interceptions with 736 return yards. He also recovered nine fumbles in his career, returning them for 164 yards.

Tatum also holds the record for the longest fumble return in NFL history. In a game against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, 1972, he returned a fumble 104 yards for a touchdown which could have been called back because of an officiating error.^[22] The record was tied 28 years later by Aeneas Williams.^[23]

After football[link]

Tatum retired after he was released by the Oilers following the 1980 season. Following the end of his playing career, Tatum became a land developer and moved into the real-estate business. He became part owner of a restaurant in Pittsburg, California. Tatum also married and had three children. He wrote three best-selling books: They Call Me Assassin (1980); They Still Call Me Assassin (1989); and Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum (1996).

Prior to Super Bowl XL, ESPN's Andrea Kremer conducted an interview with Tatum in which he confirmed that he still had few regrets about the way he played during his football career.^[24]

Tatum eventually faced his own disability challenges, as all five toes on his left foot were amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection caused by diabetes^[25] He also suffered from an arterial blockage that cost him his right leg; he used a prosthetic limb thereafter. Tatum worked in increasing awareness of diabetes. To facilitate this goal, he created the Ohio-based Jack Tatum Fund for Youthful Diabetes, which finances diabetes research. He also served as co-chair of an annual fundraiser for the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, Celebrities for Diabetes, which is held during the week of the Ohio State-Michigan game in Columbus.

Tatum died in Oakland on July 27, 2010 after a heart attack.^[26]

Video highlights[link]

• #6 Feared Tackler of All-Time
• The Stingley hit
• Tribute after his death

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jack Tatum

• Tatum's stats from Pro-Football-Reference
• Tatum's stats from Database Football
• College Football Hall of Fame bio
• Tatum's stats from Jt-sw
• Gallery of Jack Tatum football cards
• Jack Tatum at the Internet Movie Database
• Jack Tatum at Find a Grave

Darryl Floyd Stingley (September 18, 1951 – April 5, 2007) was an American professional football wide receiver whose career was cut short by an injury. He played his entire career with the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He died from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia.^[1]

Early life[link]

Stingley was born to Hilda M. Stingley and raised on Chicago's West Side. He was a standout running back at John Marshall High School.^[2] He was offered and accepted a football scholarship^[3] to Purdue University, where he was converted into a wide receiver. He was a first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 1973,^[2] along with John Hannah of the University of Alabama and Sam Cunningham of the University of Southern California.

Professional career[link]

Stingley had 110 receptions for 1,883 yards and 14 touchdowns in 60 regular-season games for the New England Patriots. He also had 28 carries for 244 yards and two touchdowns, 19 punt returns for 136 yards and eight kickoff returns for 187 yards. He had over 500 combined yards rushing, receiving and returning both punt and kickoffs in 1973 and 1975. He finished his career with 2,450 combined yards rushing, receiving and returning both punts and kickoffs. He ran for a 23-yard touchdown in the Patriots' 42-3 win over the Baltimore Colts on October 6, 1974. Stingley both ran for a 34-yard touchdown and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in their 21-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on September 18, 1977, his 26th birthday. He is one of only three Patriots players who has caught a touchdown pass on his birthday, and is the only wide receiver to run for a touchdown and have a touchdown reception on his birthday.^{[citation needed]}

Injury[link]

In a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum on August 12, 1978, Stingley was hit by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. As Stingley and Tatum collided, Stingley lowered his helmet, which collided with Tatum's shoulder pad.^[4] The hit compressed Stingley's spinal cord, breaking his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. He eventually regained limited movement in his right arm, but spent the rest of his life as a quadriplegic.^[5] The injury came just after Stingley had finished negotiating a contract extension that would have made him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. The new contract was to be announced when the Patriots returned from the West Coast. Instead, it was never signed.^[6]

Although controversial, the hit was not, and still is not, against NFL rules as it was not head-to-head contact (it was a shoulder-to-head hit). No penalty was called on the play.^[7]

The incident became a symbol of violence in football. Stingley reportedly described it as a "freak accident".^[8] Because Stingley was a young player at the height of his career, his horrific injuries attracted significant public attention. Partly in response to Stingley's injuries, the NFL changed its rules and conventions to curtail aggressive plays.^[9] Stingley told the Chicago Tribune that he approved of more restrictive officiating, saying "It has opened the game up to allow receivers to get downfield. And it has made the game more exciting."^[10]

Tatum's coach, John Madden, and many of his teammates extended their sympathies to Stingley.^[2] Madden's post-game rush to the hospital was the beginning of a close friendship.^[11] In fact, during his visit Madden found himself the lone visitor in the hospital. No one from the Patriots was there, until Madden called their team and the team's charter plane, in takeoff mode, finally returned to the gate.^[12] Raiders offensive guard Gene Upshaw also befriended Stingley, and later was instrumental in securing benefits for disabled players through the NFL Players' Association.^[2]

A settlement was reached with the NFL, under which the Patriots agreed to pay for all of Stingley's medical expenses for the rest of his life as well as his and his children's education.^[13]

Post-football activities[link]

On May 9, 1992, having completed his remaining 24 credit hours through a correspondence course program, Darryl Stingley received his bachelor of physical education from Purdue University.^[13][14][15]

Stingley and Tatum never reconciled.^[16][17] Tatum contacted Stingley while writing his own autobiography, and HBO invited both men to appear on the 25th anniversary of the accident. Stingley refused after he learned of the title of Tatum's book: Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum.^[1] Stingley believed Tatum's efforts to contact him were nothing more than profit-motivated publicity stunts.^[18] However, in a 1992 article in Jet, Darryl said that he had forgiven Jack a long time ago. But he also said that Jack had had opportunities to contact him over the years and never really made an effort. As might be expected, the situation was complicated.^[13]

Stingley later served as executive director of player personnel for the Patriots.^[3] Stingley co-authored a 1983 memoir, Happy to Be Alive, with Mark Mulvoy.^[19] In 1993 he started a nonprofit organization to help troubled youths in west Chicago.^[2] Stingley raised three sons - Darryl Jr., John S., A Chicago Violent Crimes Detective ^[2] and Derek Stingley, who played defensive back for the Albany Firebirds in the Arena Football League^[2]

Death[link]

On April 5, 2007, Stingley died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after being discovered unresponsive in his home. His death was attributed to heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia.^[1] The Cook County Medical Examiner listed Stingley's cause of death as an accident.

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Statistics at Pro Football Reference
• Video of Tatum's hit
• Darryl Stingley at the Internet Movie Database
• Darryl Stingley at Find a Grave

JaMarcus Russell

Russell in November 2008
No. --     Free Agent
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-08-09) August 9, 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth: Mobile, Alabama
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight: 260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College: Louisiana State
NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Debuted in 2007 for the Oakland Raiders
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2007–2009)
Career highlights and awards
College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009
TD–INT 18–23 Passing yards 4,083 QB Rating 65.2 Stats at NFL.com

JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Russell held out^[1] until the Raiders signed him to a contract worth $61 million with $32 million guaranteed.^[2] In three seasons with the Raiders, Russell finished 7–18 as a starter^[3] before his release on May 6, 2010.^[4]

Early life[link]

Russell was born in Mobile, Alabama and attended Lillie B. Williamson High School. For all four years under head coach Bobby Parrish, Russell started and never missed a football game. In his freshman year, Russell completed 180-of-324 passes for 2,683 yards and 20 touchdowns as Williamson reached the state championship game. By the next season, Russell had grown to six-foot-three and 185 pounds, had received his first recruiting letters and was becoming more adept with the playbook. Russell passed for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns during his sophomore year and led the team to the semifinals.^[5]

Russell's best season was his senior year; he completed 219-of-372 passes for 3,332 yards and 22 touchdowns, and rushed for another 400 yards and five touchdowns. This earned Russell Parade magazine All-American honorable mention honors.^[6] His 10,774 career passing yards broke the Alabama High School Athletic Association record and still stands today.^[7]

Russell was at the center of an ESPN Outside the Lines story on high school sports in Mobile.^[8] He also played basketball and threw the javelin in track and field.

College career (2003–2006)[link]

Freshman and sophomore seasons[link]

In February 2003 on National Signing Day, Russell committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) over Florida State University, becoming the LSU Tigers' 28th and final recruit of the 2003 season. He redshirted his freshman year and by the fall of the 2005 season, Russell was the starting quarterback. He led the Tigers to a 10–1 regular season record, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Western Division title, and a top five ranking going into the SEC Championship Game. He also improved statistically, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,443 yards and 15 touchdowns. Russell received an honorable mention on the AP's All-SEC Team.

Russell led the Tigers to two come-from-behind wins in the regular season. The first came on a 39 yard pass to Early Doucet on 4th down in the final minute of the game, as the Tigers defeated Arizona State 35–31. Later in the season, LSU defeated a then-undefeated Alabama team 16–13 when Russell completed a 14 yard touchdown to Dwayne Bowe in overtime.

Russell injured his shoulder in a loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, and missed the team's bowl game. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn replaced Russell for the Peach Bowl against Miami, and the Tigers won the game 40–3.

Junior season[link]

Russell was the starting quarterback again at LSU in 2006, beating out Matt Flynn and highly touted redshirt freshman Ryan Perrilloux. Before the season began, he changed his jersey number from 4 to 2. He had a productive 2006 regular season, leading the Tigers to a 10–2 record and a BCS Sugar Bowl berth. He threw for 3,129 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was second in the SEC with 2,923 yards from scrimmage. Russell also won the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award three times during the regular season.

During one game against Tennessee, Russell started the game poorly, throwing three interceptions (including one that was returned for a touchdown), but subsequently led LSU on a 15-play, 80-yard comeback drive in the end the game. At the end of the drive, Russel threw a touchdown pass to Early Doucet while there was less than 10 seconds left. As a result, LSU won 28–24. In the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Russell accumulated over 350 yards of passing and rushing combined and scored three touchdowns, leading LSU to a 41–14 win over Notre Dame. For his performance, he was named Sugar Bowl MVP.

At the end of the 2006 season, Russell was named to the all-SEC first team, ahead of Kentucky's Andre Woodson and Florida's Chris Leak. In addition, he was named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated.

On January 10, 2007, Russell stated that he had decided to skip his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2007 NFL Draft.^[9]

Awards[link]

• Columbus Touchdown Club SEC Player of the Year (2005)
• 4x SEC Offensive Player of the Week (1 in 2005, 3 in 2006)
• First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches (2006)
• Manning Award (2006)
• Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist (2006)

Professional career[link]

2007 NFL Draft[link]

John Clayton of ESPN stated that Russell's workouts at the 2007 NFL Combine that Russell's arm strength and size impressed several teams, and predicted that it would "be hard to pass up on Russell at #1."^[11] At the combine, Russell stated about his size, "I've been playing quarterback ever since. I was always bigger and taller than the other kids, and I was always able to throw it a pretty good length of the field." Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage said of Russell's abilities, "His talent is substantial. He's a rare combination of size and arm strength."

Russell was selected by the Oakland Raiders as the number one overall pick.

Russell was one of four LSU players taken in the first round, along with safety LaRon Landry, and wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis.^[12]

Oakland Raiders[link]

2007 season[link]

After failing to reach a contract agreement with the Raiders, Russell held out through training camp and into the first week of the 2007 NFL season, until September 12, when he signed a six-year contract worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed.^[13]

Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin did not immediately name Russell a starter, saying, "That way we can really control what he is doing, play for this set amount of time for this many plays. He doesn't have to have everything mastered," noting that Russell had missed all of training camp and other quarterbacks, like David Carr, should have been brought along more slowly.^[14]

Russell made his first professional appearance on December 2, 2007 against the Denver Broncos. Coming into the game in the second quarter in relief of starter Josh McCown, Russell played two series, and completed 4 of 7 pass attempts for 56 yards.^[15]

On December 23, 2007 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Russell threw his first career touchdown pass, a 2-yard pass to Zach Miller. He finished the game with seven completions on 23 pass attempts for 83 yards, with one touchdown pass, three interceptions and a lost fumble.^[16]

Russell made his first career start in the final game of the season against the San Diego Chargers. Russell was intercepted twice and lost a fumble, which led to 17 points off turnovers for the Chargers. After throwing his second interception, Russell did not initially get up off the field due to an injury, and he was taken to the locker room on a cart later in the game, after which he was replaced by Andrew Walter. In that first start, Russell completed 23 of 31 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a lost fumble.^[17]

Russell finished his rookie season with 36 completed passes on 66 attempts, 373 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. After the San Diego game, Kiffin named Russell the starting quarterback for the upcoming 2008 season.^[18]

2008 season[link]

Russell (left,#2) looks to pass during a game on November 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Russell was named the starter for the opening game of the 2008 season, which was against division rival, Denver Broncos. Despite losing 41–14 in his second career start, Russell completed over 65 percent of his passes, throwing for 180 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.^[19]

Next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders won 23–8. Russell passed for only 55 yards and completed 6-of-17 passes with no touchdowns or interceptions.

The next three weeks the Raiders lost against the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, and New Orleans Saints. Russell started all three games, but only threw a combined total of two touchdowns during that span.

In Week 7, the Raiders beat the New York Jets 16 – 13 in overtime. The win ended their four-game home losing streak. Russell completed 17-of-30 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown.^[20] It was head coach Tom Cable's first win as Raiders head coach. Russell led the team on a 43 yard drive to set up Janikowski's game winning kick.^[21]

The next four games were lost to the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons,, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins. A week after the Miami game, Russell led the Raiders to a 31–10 victory against Denver where he completed 10-of-11 passes for 152 yards and threw one touchdown.

Russell finished the 2008 season winning back to back games against the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those last three games, Russell threw for six touchdowns and two interceptions.

2009 season[link]

In August, Russell was named starter of the Raiders.^[22] Following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 15, Russell was benched indefinitely by coach Tom Cable due to poor play in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski led two fourth quarter comebacks and upset the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers in the following two weeks, throwing 5 touchdown passes. After Gradkoswki was injured against the Washington Redskins, Russell finished the game for the Raiders, which resulted in a loss. After the game, coach Cable decided to start backup Charlie Frye rather than Russell, which moved Russell to #3 on the depth chart. When Frye was injured against the Denver Broncos Russell played near the end of the game. The game resulted in a win, however, this was Russell's final game as a Raider. He finished the 2009 season with the lowest quarterback rating, lowest completion percentage, fewest passing touchdowns, and fewest passing yards among qualifying quarterbacks in the NFL.^[23]

In March of the 2010 offseason, NBC Sports described Russell as "annually and incredibly overweight", saying he arrived at mini-camp weighing 290 pounds, up from his initially reported weight of 271.^[24] By April, National Football Post reported him at 300 pounds.^[25] However, Cam Inman of The Oakland Tribune said that Russell had "a good first minicamp" and "is in great shape" in the team's first training camp in late April.^[26] In an interview during camp, Russell said "Today I'm going to keep coming out, compete for the job, work my tail off."^[26]

That same month, the Raiders traded for Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, which left the team with five quarterbacks on – Campbell, Russell, Frye, Gradkowski, and Kyle Boller. At the time, Raiders head coach Tom Cable said Russell could compete for the starting job.^[27] Despite this, and because Russell was due a $9.45 million salary in 2010, some NFL experts reported that Russell would soon be released.

On May 6, the Raiders released Russell.^[28] One day later, Russell cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent.^[29]

Future in football[link]

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said on May 8, 2010 that the time was not right for the Saints to consider signing Louisiana-native Russell, but added in that it's "newsworthy" when a high draft pick is released so soon, and stated that players like Russell often get a second chance in the NFL.^[30] However, due in part to concerns about his work ethic, as of 2011 his number has yet to be called by another NFL team.^[31]

The Raiders filed a grievance on May 28, 2010, seeking $9.55 million back from Russell for what was paid as salary advances for the 2010–12 NFL seasons.^[32] Russell's agent said "The money in question was fully guaranteed. That is why JaMarcus was forced to hold out and miss all of training camp as a rookie. The Raiders know that and this is our only comment."^[33]

On November 15, 2010, Russell, worked out for the Miami Dolphins with four other quarterbacks (Tom Brandstater, Tommy Grady, J. T. O'Sullivan, and Patrick Ramsey) to replace an injured Chad Pennington on the Dolphins' roster. Ramsey was eventually signed.^[34]

Impact[link]

NFL.com's Steve Wyche claimed that Russell is the biggest draft bust in NFL history.^[35] The Huffington Post named Russell one of the 13 biggest draft busts of the 2000s.^[36] ESPN's Bill Williamson called Russell a "talented but extremely disappointing" quarterback.^[29]

In addition, Russell's 2009 passer rating of 50.0 was the lowest rating by a starting quarterback in the NFL since 1998.^[32] His final stats during his tenure as a Raider were 52.1 % pass completion, 18–23 TD-INT ratio, a passer rating of 65.2, and 15 lost fumbles.^[32]

No Oakland player has worn Russell's #2 during the regular season since his release. In 2011, newly-drafted quarterback Terrelle Pryor's request to wear #2 was turned down by coach Hue Jackson; it is widely believed that the Raiders did not want another highly touted quarterback wearing the same number as the disappointing Russell.^[37]

Personal[link]

Russell was born to Bobby Lloyd and Zina L. Russell-Anderson, a machine operator in a furniture factory and a law firm secretary, respectively.

Russell is a cousin of Robert Jordan, formerly of the California Golden Bears and San Francisco 49ers, and Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks.

His uncle Ray Ray Russell was a long-time DJ and radio host for the Mobile, Alabama-based station WBLX until his death in 2009. In 2011 his cousin DeAngelo Parker started Ray Ray's Chicken and Waffles franchise in honor of him in Mobile, Alabama .^[38]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Russell housed around a dozen evacuees who had fled the flooding in New Orleans, including New Orleans singer Fats Domino, in his off-campus apartment.^[39]

Codeine syrup possession arrest[link]

On July 5, 2010, Russell was arrested at his Mobile, Alabama home for being in possession of codeine syrup without a valid prescription.^[40] His arrest was the culmination of a two-month investigation that did not initially target Russell, but his name and address surfaced repeatedly during the investigation.^[41] Russell was bailed out, and a bond hearing was scheduled for July 7, 2010. At his July 20, 2010 arraignment, Russell pleaded 'not guilty' to a state felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.^[42] On October 29, 2010, a Mobile County grand jury declined to indict Russell on the charge of possession of codeine syrup without a prescription.^[43] By at least one account, the arrest severely diminished his prospects of catching on with another NFL team.^[31]

In an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez, Russell stated that he tested positive for codeine after he was selected by the Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft.^[44]

References[link]