On April 28th, 2007, the Oakland Raiders selected LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft. While physically gifted, franchises questioned his commitment and mental fortitude after meeting with him amongst other interactions. This didn’t dissuade the Raiders however, who gave Russell a six-year, $68 million contract with $31.5 million guaranteed. Russell appeared in just four games his rookie season, but head coach Lane Kiffin saw enough to declare him the starter for the following season. In 2008, Russell completed just 53.8% of his passes, throwing 13 touchdowns to eight interceptions. The Raiders went 5-10 when Russell played. While 2009 was a chance at redemption, Russell regressed. He completed less than half of his passes, giving up 11 interceptions to just three touchdowns. He started just nine games, going 2-7, before being replaced as the starter. His career bottomed out when a report surfaced a few months later that Russell had ballooned to over 300 pounds. He was released on May 6th, 2010, and never played in the NFL again. More stories came out in the ensuing months and years, including infamous stories of the coaching staff giving him a blank game tape he claimed to watch and his teammates bribing him with cheeseburgers to prepare for opponents.
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