JaMarcus Russell’s NFL tenure was rocky, to say the least, as the former No. 1 overall pick flamed out with the Oakland Raiders before ever experiencing any sort of sustained success.
Now serving as a high school coach at his alma mater in Mobile, Alabama, Russell has found himself in hot water in a much different way.
It was reported today that Russell is out as a coach on the staff after allegedly stealing money that was sent to the school as a donation and is currently facing a lawsuit due to the situation.
JaMarcus Russell out as high school football coach, accused of stealing donation to school. https://t.co/Naf97Ohymc
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 29, 2024
The lawsuit alleges that Russell took a $74,000 check that Chris Knowles, a local business owner, wrote to the school.
Knowles said that Russell approached him originally about a donation that was intended to help the Williamson High School football team buy weight room equipment and that the school itself never received any of the money from the check Knowles sent.
Russell reportedly deposited the check in a credit union and withdrew $55,000 of the money.
Russell is also reportedly not allowed to be around the school campus or the football program in any capacity.
It’s a disappointing turn for Russell, and this situation allegedly took place during the fall of last year, though we are just now learning the details of it.
The 2007 No. 1 overall pick started 25 games for the Raiders over three seasons and started every game over the course of four years at Williamson High School.
Russell’s 10,774 passing yards in high school is still the Alabama state record.
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